I have a heart after all
by Dr. Huff-Puff
Summary: The Marauders are in their sixth year. Sirius gets in serious trouble and no one wants to have anything to do with him. He meets a girl who is transferred from Beauxbatons and she makes him feel strange.
1. Double Trouble

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DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Characters that you don't recognize as originals are my own.

I have a heart after all.

Chapter one - Double trouble

Sirius always has been a stubborn child. He did what he wanted, and no one could complain because it would turn into an argument.

During his days as a sixth student at Hogwarts he kept making fun of everyone whom he didn't like. His main target though, was Severus Snape. A greasy haired boy from Slytherin.

Sirius always found a new way to annoy Severus and his three friends have always been there to help him.

"Hold him tight so he wouldn't move." Sirius said.

James and Remus held Severus tightly by his arms, while Peter was standing a little bit far guarding their spot at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so none of the teachers would come and see them.

"Now Snivellus, this is for being a Slytherin." Sirius said and punched Severus in the stomach. Severus let out a shout of pain and was about to kneel, but James and Remus held him tight.

"This is for being a greasy git." Sirius said and punched him again.

"This is for having a stupid look on you face." Sirius hit punched his face and made Severus' lip bleed.

"This is for thinking you're better than us." This time Sirius hit Severus on his face and caused Severus to fall to the ground unconscious.

"Padfoot, I think he had his share for today." Remus said, staring at Severus.

"Poor little pumpkin." Sirius said in a sarcastic tone. "He can't even…"

"McGonagall is coming!" Peter said and ran to them. "Merlin's beard! What have you done?"

"Nothing special." Sirius said.

"Come, let's hide!" James said.

Peter quickly transformed into a rat and ran away. James transformed into a stag, and before Sirius could transform Remus held him.

"Wait, we can't leave him here!" Remus said.

"Says who?" Sirius said.

"Sirius, if McGonagall sees him, we're finished!"

At that moment, professor McGonagall reached them and stared at them with wide opened eyes.

"We didn't do anything!" Sirius said quickly.

"Go and tell Madam Pomfrey that I'm bringing a student." McGonagall told Remus and he ran to the hospital wing.

"Mr. Black, you are to carry Mr. Snape to the Hospital wing." She said with clenched teeth.

"Can't we just leave him here?" Sirius said.

"SIRIUS BLACK, IF YOU DON'T CARRY MR. SNAPE TO THE HOSPITAL WING AT ONCE I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE EXPELLED!" McGonagall shouted at him.

"We can at least use a spell to carry him." Sirius said innocently.

"MR. BLACK!"

"Alright, alright!" Sirius said and carried Snape. He followed professor McGonagall to the Hospital Wing muttering curses under his nose all the way.

James and Peter watched them from behind the trees. As soon as they were gone, James and Peter transformed back to their human form.

"Poor Padfoot. I hope he wouldn't get into trouble." Peter said.

"He already is in deep trouble Wormtail, and we have to do something about it. I suspect that McGonagall already knows that he has caused the damage to Snivellus." James said. "Let's go to the common room, we'll think of something there. No one should see us here."

James and Peter went to the Gryffindor common room. There were many students there gathered around the fireplace, talking and laughing. James and Peter sneaked into their dormitory, and entered their room and closed the door behind them.

"What should we do now?" Peter asked.

"First, we wait and see what punishment are they going to get." James said. "If it's a detention, we can join them and have fun."

"What if it not a detention?" Peter asked.

"Let's just wait and see." James said with a concerned look on his face. "I didn't expect that to happen."

"What if he doesn't live?"

"He'll live. Snivellus isn't the fast dying type."

The room door opened and a second year student entered.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see you both at her office." The boy said and left the room.

"Bloody hell! She knows that we were there!" James said.

"How are we supposed to help Remus and Sirius?" Peter asked.

"Let's go and see what she wants. Just don't open your mouth about being there earlier, okay?"

Peter nodded and they both went to McGonagall's office.

McGonagall couldn't look angrier. She was writing something when James and Peter knocked the door and entered.

"You called us professor?" James asked.

"Yes Mr. Potter. Sit down please." Professor McGonagall said and motioned to them to sit.

James and Peter sat next to each other and looked at their teacher nervously. Professor McGonagall finished what she was writing and put the quill to a side and looked at them.

"You must've heard about Mr. Snape's injury." She said. James and Peter didn't reply. "Your friends Remus Lupin and Sirius Black have attacked him, and he lost consciousness. The damage was so deep that even Madam Pomfrey couldn't do anything about it, and Mr. Snape has been taken to St. Mungo's hospital. He will stay there until he's fully healed."

"What?" James said. "But… w-what happened to him?"

"It seems that your dear friends have attacked him in a muggle way, and broke his cheekbone, and he also has internal bleeding. For several punches in the stomach."

"But…" James was about to tell McGonagall what really happened but Peter stepped on his foot before he could continue. James looked at Peter and nodded. "What will happen to Remus and Sirius?"

"Professor Dumbledore is questioning them at this moment. And his decision depends on Mr. Snape's condition. Internal bleeding is something serious and it might kill a person." McGonagall said.

James' face went pale. If Severus died, his friends might end up in Azkaban. But if he doesn't they might be expelled.

"Mr. Potter, are you feeling alright?" McGonagall asked as she noticed the color change on James' face.

"I'm… I'm fine." James said. "Professor, can we see them?"

"Yeah professor, is that possible?" Peter asked.

"They are in Dumbledore's office now. You'll have to wait until they go back to your common room. It would be better if you wait over there." McGonagall replied. "Now, the reason I called here is that I wanted to ask you something, ad I want you to tell me the truth. I don't want to use Veritaserum on you." She said and they two boys nodded. "Did you see what happened and how it happened?" she looked at the both of them in the eyes.

James and Peter looked at each other, not knowing how to reply. If they said that they were there, they might end up in Azkaban too. If they said that they weren't, they would be betraying their best friends.

James thought for a moment before answering. It was better to deny everything and that way it would be easier for him to help his friends.

"We didn't see anything." James said.

"We weren't with them today." Peter said in a shaky voice.

"Alright, you can go to your common room now." Professor McGonagall said. James and Peter got up and left.

"This is wrong. They can't just send them to Azkaban! We have to do something Wormtail." James said.

"She didn't say anything about Azkaban."

"But she said that everything depends on Snivellus' health condition. If he dies, Moony and Padfoot will end up in Azkaban!"

"Oh Merlin! What're we going to do?" Peter asked.

"I don't know."

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and after saying the password they entered the common room.

"Where have you two been?!" Remus asked angrily.

"Moony! You're here! But… where's Padfoot?" James asked.

"Dumbledore said that he should go back home until they hear from St. Mungo's." Remus said.

"What? Does that mean he'll be expelled or something?" James asked.

"I don't know Prongs. I just hope that Snivellus would live." Remus sat on a couch and held his head with his hands. "It was all my fault! If I just followed him and ran away instead of asking him not to leave Snivellus there, none of this would've happened!"

"Hey, calm down mate. I'm sure we can think of something to help Padfoot." James said as he knelt down next to his friend.

"Padfoot will never forgive me." Remus said, fighting back tears.

"He will forgive you Moony. Don't worry about that." Peter said.

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Author's note: Now that you're here, why don't you send me a review? I'd like to know your opinion about this and weather I should continue or not. As some of you, who read my other stories know, I like writing long stories. Therefore, I need your encouragement to continue this one.


	2. Out Of Home

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A/N: Thank you **Laughing Fountain** for the review :) You're my first reviewer on this story, so that makes you special!!

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Chapter two - Out of home

Sirius found himself standing in front of his house. He took a deep breath and prepared to face his mother's anger.

Before he could touch the doorknob, the door opened and his mother stood there, anger rising on her face.

"Get in." she said dryly.

Sirius went inside and headed to his room. He didn't want to hear his mother's lectures, but he had no other choice, for she has followed him to his room.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU'RE A DISGRACE FOR OUR FAMILY!" she shouted at him.

"I haven't done anything." Sirius said calmly. "He was lying there when we arrived."

"WHY DIDN'T THEY ALSO ACCUSE REMUS THEN?"

"I don't know."

"YOU ARE GOING TO STAY IN THIS ROOM UNTIL THEY DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH YOU. YOU'RE NOT TO LEAVE THIS ROOM AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY!"

"Okay." Sirius replied and his mother left the room slamming the door shut after her.

Sirius lay on his bed looking at the ceiling. He didn't know what to think at that moment. He was confused. He didn't mean to cause a serious damage to Snape, but it just happened.

"Why didn't Dumbledore accuse Remus about anything? Why am I the only troublemaker at school? Remus was there with me! James and Peter were there too!" he asked himself.

He looked at his hands and saw red marks on them. "So that's how Dumbledore knew." He muttered to himself and got up. "If I'm supposed to stay out of Hogwarts, I will. But I'm not staying here either." He took his wand and broom out of his trunk and muttered a spell that made his trunk shrink in size. He put the little trunk and his wand in his pocket and opened the window. He climbed on his broom and flew out of the house.

Sirius flew around for a while until he decided where to go. He headed straight to the Leaky Cauldron. As he landed, he took his wand and trunk out of his pocket. He put the trunk on the ground and muttered another spell, which made the trunk turn back to its original size. He pulled it behind him and entered.

An old wizard welcomed him and Sirius asked for a room to stay. He didn't know how long he was going to stay there, but since he was short at pocket money, he decided to spend a couple of nights there until he could figure out what to do next.

The old wizard showed Sirius the room where he was going to stay. Sirius put his trunk near the bed along with his broom. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"What will happen to me?" he asked himself. "What will I do if I'm expelled? I'd prefer going to Azkaban instead of being expelled. At least, I'd lose my mind there and I might die. And nothing will matter to me then."

After a while Sirius decided to go out to Diagon Alley. He walked through the streets with nothing special in mind. Suddenly a girl caught his attention. She was about his age, with shoulder length black hair that was pulled in ponytail. Her skin was pale and her eyes were blue. Sirius stared at her and saw her enter Flourish and Blot's. He followed her in. She was asking for some textbooks. Sirius stood near a shelf as to examine some books, but he kept staring at her all the time.

As the girl finished buying her books, which Sirius recognized as sixth year student books, she walked out of the store. Sirius followed her and saw her heading to the direction where he first came from. She was heading to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Well, looks like we'll get to meet each other." He said to himself and followed her. He pretended to be heading to his room and saw the girl coming. He stood in front of his room and started searching his pockets for his room keys, while his eyes were fixed on her. The girl entered the room that was right next to Sirius' room. Sirius smiled.

"So, we're neighbors. That's a good sign." He said and entered his room.

At dinner time, Sirius went downstairs and sat near an empty table. The Leaky Cauldron wasn't crowded, so there were many empty seats. Sirius ordered some mashed potatoes with some apple juice and waited for his order to be ready.

The girl came downstairs and sat near a table next to Sirius'. He looked at her and their eyes met. He smiled at her and she smiled back, then she turned her attention to her bag. She pulled a book out and started to read. Sirius got up and went to her.

"Hello, mind if I join you?" he asked.

The girl looked at him. "It isn't crowded and there are many empty tables."

"Well, I was sitting alone, and you're alone too. So I thought a little company wouldn't hurt."

"Alright." The girl said. "Have a seat."

"Thanks. By the way, my name is Sirius Black."

"I'm Christine Williams."

"Nice to meet you Christine." Sirius said and extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you Sirius." Christine took Sirius' hand and shook it.

The old wizard brings Sirius' order along with Christine's. He places the plates on the table and goes back to the counter.

"You're not from here. Are you?" Sirius asked.

"No. I'm from France." Christine replied.

"But you speak English pretty well."

"My parents are English, but they used to live in France."

"Oh, I see. Which school do you go to?"

"I used to go to Beauxbatons."

"I heard that it's a good place."

"Yes. Yes, indeed." Christine's face expression went dark.

"Er… I hope I didn't say something wrong." Sirius said.

"Oh no. Not at all." Christine said. "I have to go to my room now. Excuse me."

"Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow."

Christine smiled and got up. She put her book back in her bag and went upstairs to her room.

Sirius finished his dinner and headed to his room as well. As soon as he entered, he saw an owl waiting for him near the window.

"Hey there, you got something for me?" he asked, and took the piece of parchment that was tied to the owl's leg. The owl flew out instantly. Sirius opened the parchment and read:

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Dear Mr. Black,

I am please to inform you that Mr. Snape's health condition is steadier and nothing threatens his life anymore. You are allowed to return to school as of tomorrow morning. The train will leave at eleven o'clock from Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Please be there at the mentioned time.

P.S.: I would also like to inform you that you have been given a month of detention. I will inform you of the details as soon as you arrive.

Sincerely,

Prof. M. McGonagall

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"Great. Snivellus is alive, but I get a detention. This is just great." Sirius said in a disgusted manner.

Next morning, Sirius got up early and packed his trunk. He pulled it behind him and got out of his room and went downstairs.  
"Blimey! I should say goodbye to her!" he said and went back upstairs, leaving his trunk behind him. He reached Christine's room and knocked the door, but no one answered.

"She left early this morning." A young witch said as she passed.

"How do you know?"

"I work here." She said and walked away.

"Oh, okay." Sirius said. He went back downstairs and headed to the counter where the old wizard was. "Excuse me, I need to get to King's Cross. How can I get there?"

"Use the muggle way. Get a taxi." The old wizard said.

"But I don't have muggle money." Sirius said.

"I can exchange some for you."

"Alright." Sirius exchanged some of his sickles and knuts for muggle money that was enough to take him to King's Cross by a taxi.

When he got to the station, it was 10:30. He decided to wait for a few more minutes before running through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Sirius kept looking around at people who were heading to their own platforms, then he looked at the clock. It was 10:15. Sirius decided that it was time to go. He got up and held his trunk. He took a deep breath and ran straight into the wall barrier and passed through it to find himself standing at Platform 9 3/4. Hogwarts Express was there as if it was waiting for him. He was the only one there. All the other students were already at Hogwarts.

"How thoughtful of them to let me go back by train." Sirius said to himself as he got inside the train. He walked through the corridors trying to figure which empty compartment he should take. Finally, he decided on one and went in. He sat near the window and waited for the train to move.

As the train finally moved Sirius lay back in the chair and closed his eyes. After a few hours he would be back at school and he'll meet his friends again, and he'll make sure they apologize to him about what happened. He wasn't supposed to be the only one to get a detention after all. Remus, at least, deserved a detention as much as he did.


	3. Back To School

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Laughing Fountain: Thanks for your review :) You're right about Sirius. I also think the same :) And Christine is back in this chapter :)

Chapter 3 - Back To School

"Sirius Black has been expelled!"

"He wanted to kill Severus Snape!"

"Dumbledore did the right thing. Sirius should've been expelled since his first year at Hogwarts!"

James cursed under his nose each time he heard the students gossip about Sirius. As he entered the Gryffindor common room his fellow housemates stopped talking and turned to look at him.

"What?" James asked, and everyone went back to their conversation as nothing happened.

James went to his room and saw Remus and Peter playing wizard chess.

"Check mate!" Remus said as his knight smashed Peter's King.

"I'll never win this game!" Peter whined.

"Oh come on Wormtail! Don't lose hope. I'm sure you can win." Remus said.

"Try playing with Longbottom. You'll win for sure." James said and lay on his bed.

"What's wrong James?" Remus asked.

"All that stupid gossip about Padfoot is making me angry." James said, and sighed. "I really wonder where is he now."

"I'm right here!"

James turned his head toward the voice. "Padfoot!" he exclaimed and got up. He gave Sirius a hug but Sirius stood there like a stone.

"Hey Padfoot. What's wrong?" Peter asked.

"Listen, we're sorry to leave you like that." James said. "I know you must be angry and mad at us. But we didn't know what to do."

"You could've told McGonagall that you were there with me! You could've lied to her and told her that you saw Snivellus lying there when we arrived! You know that McGonagall never trusted me!" Sirius snapped.

"We really did want to do something about it." James said. "But we…"

"You were scared that you might be expelled, right? And I thought I can call you friends!"

"You can call us friends." Remus said.

"Huh! Look who's talking! You were there with me all the time but you didn't open your mouth!" Sirius replied.

"Padfoot, I am really sorry that this happened. It was my entire fault. And I'll tell McGonagall about it." Remus said.

"And I'll make sure McGonagall gives me another room to stay at. I don't want to have a bunch of traitors as friends anymore." Sirius said and left the room.

"Is he crazy?" James asked. "Something is VERY wrong in his brain."

"I wonder why is he angry that much." Peter said. "He never acted like that before. I mean, every time we did something, he did all the confession and took the blame on himself."

"You're right Pete. There has to be something else." Remus said.

"But how are we going to know?" James asked.

"I don't know." Remus said. "How about asking one of the girls to ask him? He likes being around them you know."

"Good idea." Peter said.

"But you're forgetting one thing." James said and the other two looked at him. "Everyone is gossiping about him, and they don't seem to be friendly about him anymore."

"So, what're we supposed to do now?" Peter asked.

"I say we leave him to calm down for a couple of days." Remus said.

"Okay." James said. "And let's go to the Great Hall now. We'll be late for lunch. Besides, I heard others gossiping about a new student that will be sorted."

"New student? But it's November!" Remus said.

"They say she has been transferred from Beauxbatons." Peter said.

"How do you know?" James asked.

"Well, it happens that I also have ears." Peter said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah. Right." James said. "Alright, let's go then."

The three Marauders went to the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. James looked around looking for Sirius, but he wasn't there. After a few moments, Sirius entered the Hall and all the students stared at him with a shocked look on their faces.

"Isn't that great that he can do that to them?" James whispered to Remus.

"Yeah. But I wish that he's not mad at us when he does that." Remus replied.

"Didn't expect me to return, did you?" Sirius said loudly and looked at the students in the Hall with a smirk on his face. He also had a parchment rolled in his hand. He walked gracefully to the Gryffindor table, but instead of joining his friends he sat at the far end of the table, away from the other students.

As the teachers entered the Hall, they sat in their seats. Sirius noticed that Professor McGonagall brought the three-legged stool and the sorting hat and put it in front of the house tables. Then she walked and sat in her chair next to Dumbledore.

Everyone in the Hall started whispering at the sight of the Sorting Hat. Sirius was confused. He wondered about the new students who were about to be sorted. On the other hand, was the hat for him? Was his punishment to be re-sorted to another house?

At that moment, professor Dumbledore stood up and held his hands up. All the students stopped talking and looked at him. The Hall was silent.

"Good afternoon my dears. Before we start our lunch, I have a few announcements to make." Dumbledore spoke. "As you all know, a few days ago Mr. Severus Snape has been severely injured and he is now at the care of the healers of St. Mungo's hospital. Nothing is threatening his life now, and I believe he will join us in a couple of weeks. You will wonder about the person who caused the injury, but I will not give names. That person has received punishment and House points will be taken from his house. So, for causing a serious injury to a fellow student with no obvious reason, I take 500 points from Gryffindor."

All the Gryffindors whined and growled, and they turned to look at Sirius with disgust. Remus, James and Peter lowered their heads and blushed. Sirius kept staring at his parchment. However, the Slytherins roared with laughter and applause. The Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs remained silent. They eyed Sirius with anger, but they didn't make a sound.

Dumbledore raise his hands again, and the Hall went silent. "Now, to the second announcement." He said. "We have a new student who has been transferred from the French school of witchcraft, Beauxbatons."

Sirius turned to stare at Dumbledore. He knew only one person who has been transferred from Beauxbatons this year.

"As the rules of Hogwarts say that each student should be sorted to a house, then we should give our new student the chance to be sorted too." Dumbledore continued. "Dear students of Hogwarts, please welcome your new schoolmate Miss Christine Williams."

The doors opened and Christine walked in shyly. She was confused by the huge amount of the eyes staring at her. While she walked in, she noticed a pair of familiar eyes. She turned her head and saw Sirius looking at her with a surprised look on his face. She smiled at him and mouthed "hi" before she continued her way to the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall got up from her seat and walked over to Christine.

"You will sit on the stool and I'll put the hat on your head." McGonagall said. "It will sort you into your house."

Christine nodded with a smile and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall put the hat on Christine's head, and it seemed that the hat has gained life at the moment it touched her head.

To everyone's surprise, the hat didn't sing it's annual welcoming song. Instead, it welcomed Christine in a different way.

Welcome to Hogwarts,

My little beauty.

You'll find the answers,

Of questions you'll meet.

"Thanks." Christine whispered.

"Where should I put you?" The hat asked.

"I don't know." Christine replied in a whisper.

"Slytherin is not your place. That one I can tell." The hat said. "Ravenclaw would suit you best, as you're smart and cleaver. But you are also brave and daring, which makes you a good Gryffindor. But most you care for friends and you are loyal to the end. So, that leaves no choice. Hufflepuff!" The hat said the name of the house so loud, and the Hufflepuff table roared with applause.

Christine took off the hat and got up. She put it on the stool and walked to the Hufflepuff table, where the students welcomed her happily.

Sirius sighed. He really wanted her to be in Gryffindor. At least on of his housemates wouldn't have been mad at him.

Dumbledore stood up again and waited for the students to calm. "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Williams." He said as he looked at Christine who smiled at him and blushed. "Now, I know that you are as hungry as I am, so… tuck in!" and with a wave of his hand golden plates appeared in front of each student and the tables were filled with different types of food.

Sirius didn't eat anything. He kept staring at Christine who seemed very busy with speaking to her new housemates. She turned and looked at him and smiled. Sirius smiled back when she waved her hand at him. Then she turned back to continue her conversation with the other Hufflepuff girls.

While everyone in the Great Hall was busy in eating and talking, Sirius got up and went to his room. He didn't get the chance to meet McGonagall to ask her about a room change. He only received his detention letter from her and he didn't like it at all. He had a month of detention, and he didn't know how was he going to spend it.


	4. Detention

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Laughing Fountain: Thanks for the review :) here are two chapters just for you!!

Chapter 4 - Detention

Sirius sat alone in his room reading a book about charms. He didn't have anything to do and it seemed that reading would put his mind to rest for while.

After a few minutes, Remus, James and Peter enter the room. James tries to start a conversation with Sirius, but Sirius ignores him and gets out of the room without speaking to any of them.

"What do we have to do about him?" James asked.

"James, leave him alone for a while." Remus replied.

"Let's go to class. We have potions now." Peter said.

"Okay." James sighed. "You go ahead, I'll get my book and follow you."

Remus and Peter nodded and went to their Potions class. James opened his trunk and found his book. He went out to the common room and saw Sirius sitting there near the fireplace. James wanted to speak to him, but then he decided to leave him alone for a while, so he went to class.

Hours passed and Sirius remained silently seated near the fireplace. Finally, he got up and decided to go to McGonagall's office for his detention.

He knocked the door and entered.

"Good evening Professor." Sirius said.

"Good evening Mr. Black. Have a seat." McGonagall replies.

Sirius sits down at the desk on the first row. "Professor, I was wondering if I can change my room?"

"And may I ask why do you want to change it?"

"Er…" Sirius didn't know how to reply to this one. One part of him wanted to tell her all the truth about what actually happened to Snape, but the other part wanted him to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright, don't say anything if you don't want to. Because no room changing is allowed anyway." McGonagall said. "It is as same as the sorting. Once you get into a room, you're not allowed to change it."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "Alright." He said calmly.

"Now, back to your detention." McGonagall said and got up. She took a thin book, parchments, inkbottle and a quill out of the drawer and gave to Sirius. "This book is the History of Transfiguration. You will read the book and then write an essay about what you read."

"Do I have to?" Sirius whined. "Can't I do anything else?"

"No. You are going to read this book Mr. Black, and that is final." McGonagall gave him a stern look. Sirius decides to surrender as he doesn't have any other choice, and he starts reading the book.

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The three Marauders were sitting in the common room after their Potions class. They were whispering to each other as though they were planning something.

"How about dividing the houses between us?" James asked. "Each one of us would have a target house and we can jinx some students."

"I agree with that. It would be more organized and we'll get our desired detention." Remus said.

"But don't you think we will also cause losing more points?" Peter asked.

"Who cares?!" James and Remus said together.

"Listen Wormtail, if you are scared of the big mouths of the other Gryffindors you can stay here, but you won't be joining us in anything after we're finished with our detentions." James said.

"I guess I have no choice." Peter said.

"No, you have the choice. Come or stay." Remus said. "And I think James is right. If you choose to stay, you're out. We are doing this only for Padfoot. Do you think we like losing house points?"

"Alright, I'm coming." Peter said.

"That's the spirit!" James said. "Alright, I'm taking Ravenclaw, Moony you take Slytherins, Wormtail you take Hufflepuff. Gryffindors are not to be touched."

Remus and Peter nodded and they took out their wands. They all left the common room and headed to the corridors.

"Remember, as we are not in class right now, only McGonagall can give us detention as she is the head of our house." Remus said. "If any teacher sees you and gives you detention, you have the right to correct them. But don't jinx a teacher!"

"Okay, enough talking." James said. "It's time for action!"

They got separated and each one of them headed to a bunch of students. James saw a Ravenclaw first year boy walking alone and a smile formed on his face.

"Gotcha!" James muttered and headed to the boy. He stood in front of him and pointed his wand at the first year. "Furnunculus!"

Boils started to break out of the first year's face. The boy screamed in horror and ran away.

James sighed. "Sorry kid. I had to do that." He whispered to himself and continued his way to find another victim.

Remus saw three second year Slytherins gathered in a corner and walked to them. They straightened up when they saw him approaching.

"What do you want?" one of them said.

"I was just passing by." Remus replied. "Have the rules been changed about walking in the corridors?"

"You're a Gryffindor. And one of your friends tried to kill our housemate." The other boy said.

"Oh really? How sweet." Remus said, making sure to add sarcasm to his voice. He pointed his wand at the three as they took out their own.

"Expelliarmus!" Remus shouted. The wands of the three boys flew out of their hands.

"How… how did you do that?" one of them asked.

"That's none of your business." Remus said and pointed his wand at one of them. "Petrificus totalus!"

The first boy fell to the ground, and the other two stared at him in horror. One of the other two ran to get his wand but Remus stunned him, then he turned to the third.

"Tarantallegra!" Remus shouted and the boy started to dance. Remus smiled and walked away.

"I wonder where are the other students? How are they supposed to tell the teachers if they don't see anything?" Remus asked himself as he continued searching for his own next victims.

Meanwhile, Peter was having hard time finding Hufflepuffs. It seemed like they have vanished from school. After a long walk, Wormtail saw a first year Hufflepuff girl coming out of the library with a book in her arms. He raised his wand and pointed it at her.

"Densaugeo!" he said and the girl's front teeth started to grow in size.

The girl stared at him in horror and touched her teeth, which were still growing without a stop.

"HELP!" she screamed. "Someone help!"

Peter turned back and walked away. At that moment another girl came out of the library.

"Oh my God!" she said and ran to the first year girl. She took out her wand and pointed it at her. "Finite Incantatem!"

The little girl's teeth stopped growing but they were now reaching her chest. Tears rolled on her cheeks as she cried.

"Don't worry, I think I can fix that. Reducio!" she said, pointing her wand at the girl's teeth.

The girl touched her teeth and they were back to normal. She stopped crying and smiled.

"Thank you." She said and hugged the older one.

"You're welcome. Who did this to you?"

"A fat boy. He was a Gryffindor. He left when you came."

"Alright, I'll take care of him. So, what's your name?"

"Jane."

"Nice to meet you Jane. I'm Christine."

"Aren't you the new girl in our house?" Jane asked and Christine nodded. "Wow! Nice to meet you too."

Christine smiled. "Let's go to our common room. I won't let you walk through the corridors alone today, as that boy might come back."

"Alright." Jane replied.

After taking Jane to their common room, Christine went to McGonagall's office. She knocked the door and entered.

"Excuse me professor." Christine said.

"May I help you Miss Williams?" McGonagall replied.

Christine saw Sirius sitting there writing something, so she walked closer to McGonagall and whispered in her ears.

"He did what?" McGonagall said. "Did you take her to the hospital wing."

Christine blushed and looked at the ground. "No. I managed to bring her teeth back to normal. She's fine now. I took her to our common room before coming here."

McGonagall smiled. "That's nice of you. And since no one has had the brains to use two simple charms against the tooth enlarging spell before, I give 20 points to Hufflepuff."

"Thank you professor." Christine smiled.

McGonagall smiled. "You can go to your common room now. I'll take care of the trouble maker."

"Yes professor." Christine said and turned to go out. She looked at Sirius at the moment he raise his face up from the parchment and stared at her wondering what she was doing here. Christine smiled at him and walked out.

"Mr. Black, you still have about 15 minutes. Make sure to finish your essay as soon as I return." McGonagall said.

"Yes professor." Sirius said.

As soon as McGonagall left the classroom Sirius cursed under his breath and continued writing. He finished at the same moment when McGonagall returned. James, Remus and Peter now followed her in.

"Can't you ever spend a day without causing trouble?" McGonagall looked at them angrily as she spoke. "Five days of detention starting today, and ten points from Gryffindor each. Sit down."

The three looked at Sirius as they sat down and smiled, but he ignored them. Sirius got up and gave the book and his essay to the teacher.

"You are free to go now Mr. Black." McGonagall said.

"See you tomorrow professor." Sirius said calmly and walked out. He went straight to his room.

Professor McGonagall gave Remus, James and Peter copies of the same book.

"Read it all and write an essay." She said and gave them quills and parchments.

"Let me clean the class but don't make me write an essay! Please professor?" James whined.

"Read the book Mr. Potter!" McGonagall said and sat at her desk. She took Sirius' essay and started to read it while the three Gryffindors started reading the books that she gave them.

------------------------------------------

Sirius walked through the corridors on his way to the Gryffindor tower. He saw Christine talking to some Ravenclaws. He didn't dare to get closer; instead he just passed them.

Christine noticed him and excused herself from the others. She reached Sirius and put her hand on his shoulder. Sirius stopped and turned back to see who was it.

"Hi." Christine said with a smile.

"Hi." Sirius replied.

"Looks like we're going to see each other more often now. Why didn't you tell me that you study here?"

"You didn't ask." He replied as a-matter-of-fact.

"Yeah, right." She smiled. "So, what were you writing back there in class?"

"I'm on detention."

"Oh, and may I ask what you did?"

Sirius stared at her with blank expression on his face. Did he care if she turned her back on him if he told her about the reason that he got detention? "Well…" he paused. He wasn't sure about this for the first time in his life. He has talked to many girls before and he was always showing himself around. But with Christine he felt something new. Something that he has never felt before. "Alright, I'll tell you." He said finally. "You heard about Snape? Who is in St. Mungo's at this moment?"

"Yes. Everyone is speaking about him." Christine said and stared at him as the thought hit her. "You didn't!"

Sirius nodded. "I did. I was the one who hit him."

"How could you do such thing?" Christine said looking at him in the eyes. "How could you be so cruel!"

Sirius sighed. "Well, that's how I am. And no one can change it."

"When I saw you at the Leaky Cauldron I thought you were…" Christine paused. "Never mind. It's not important anymore." She said and walked away.

Sirius stared at her as she left. "Great. I've ruined a relationship with the only person who wasn't mad at me." He said to himself. "Just get back here Snivellus and I'll kill you for sure this time. At least I'll end up in Azkaban and I won't see the disgusting faces of these people again."

Sirius went back to his room and lays in his bed for a couple of hours. He tries to sleep but he couldn't.

At that moment James and Remus enter the room followed by Peter.

"I hope she wouldn't get angry when she sees that I didn't write anything." Peter said as he went to his bed.

"Don't you mention the word writing when I'm around, okay?" James said. "My fingers hurt!"

Sirius got up and walked out of the room without saying a word. He went to the common room and sat on a couch in front of the fireplace.

"What's wrong with him this time? We got ourselves into detention just to show him that we care and he doesn't even look at us!" James said angrily. "I'm not going to speak to him anymore! From now on there are only three Marauders at Hogwarts."

"James, don't say that. You know that it was our fault too." Remus said.

"Yes! And we admitted that, and we told him we're sorry. In addition, we got ourselves in detention! What more should we do? I'm not going to spend the rest of my life trying to bring him back. Good bye good ol' days. A new page starts for James Potter starting this very moment." James said and threw himself on his bed.

Remus shook his head and he also got in bed. "If you say so." He said.

Sirius was sitting in front of the fireplace and staring at the flames. He felt alone, confused and angry. However, that didn't bother him at all. There was this new strange feeling that invaded him the moment Christine asked him about his detention. He didn't know what was it, but he kept thinking of her. Eventually, he fell asleep on the couch in the common room.


	5. Loneliness

****

Chapter 5 - Loneliness

Sirius opened his eyes to find himself wrapped in a blanket in front of the fireplace. He looked to his right and saw Lily Evans sitting on a couch reading a book. She lifted her head and looked at him.

"Do you know that you're pathetic?" she asked.

"Guess so." He replied and got up. He stretched and turned to Lily. "Did you bring that blanket?"

"So you're not only pathetic, you're also dumber than I thought." She replied. "Do you see anyone else around?"

Sirius looked around the common room. No one else was there.

"Thanks. You didn't need to do it." Sirius said. "I didn't feel cold anyway."

"I already did it. So, no need to thank me." Lily replied. All this time she spoke to Sirius and she didn't smile. Sirius felt confused by her behavior. He shrugged and went to the broom cupboard. He took out his broom and went out.

Sirius walked to the Entrance Hall and was about to ride his broom when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Dumbledore standing behind him.

"Good morning Professor." Sirius said.

"Good morning Mr. Black. Can I have a word with you?" the headmaster said.

"Of course."

"Good. Let's have a walk."

They went out to the school grounds. Sirius' heart was beating fast. It wasn't everyday that the headmaster spoke to a student in private.

"Mr. Black, I hope that you realize that what you have done deserves more than a detention as a punishment."

Sirius took a long breath. "Only if the victim is not Sniv… Snape." Sirius realized that he had spoiled everything by saying that, but it was too late. Dumbledore smiled.

"So that means you admit it?"

"I didn't say that." Sirius said.

"May I ask what's bothering you about him?"

Sirius sighed. He knew that he had to tell the truth. "I just don't like him."

"I see." Dumbledore replied. "Do you know why did your friends end up jinxing anyone who came across their way yesterday? Because they knew that they also share as much responsibility as you do, because they were there with you when it all happened. They decided to do some mischief so they would get detention and spend the time with you."

Sirius remained silent. He was used to random detentions of his friends, but getting into trouble only to be with him… Sirius didn't know how to think.

"I'm aware of everything that happened Mr. Black. The incident with Mr. Snape, your escape from home, going to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, even your room change request that was rejected."

"You were spying on me?"

"I am the headmaster of this school and I keep an eye on each student when they leave the school grounds during terms."

"What about vacation time?"

"Do you think I don't need one either? I also like to have a rest from school work once in a year."

Sirius smiled at Dumbledore. "Professor, you knew that I went to the Leaky Cauldron. So, I guess you also know that I met Christine Williams there before coming back."

"I know. And you have a question that was left unanswered."

"Yes. Why did she come here? I know that her old school is one of the best."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Mr. Black, but I cannot tell you the reason. I'm sure Miss Williams will tell you if she finds it necessary."

"Alright."

"Now back to our main subject." Dumbledore said. "I hope that you will think about what I said. I don't like to see the Marauders of my school get apart."

"I don't know about that Professor. It really hurts to see my friends turn their backs at me when I really need them. Why was I the only person to be punished? You saw that Remus was with me at the Hospital wing. Professor McGonagall saw us together there, but Remus got away with it and he didn't even have the courage to say that he is as responsible as I am! And it was his entire fault that we were caught on the scene!"

"I know how you feel Mr. Black, but the evidence was on you, and not on Mr. Lupin. I'm sure you know that all of your friends are suffering enough now that they don't talk to you."

"And I'll leave them that way. I'm sorry professor, but I'm not ready to speak to them now."

"I understand." Dumbledore said. "I believe you were going to fly?" Sirius nodded and held his broom. "Alright then, I better go back to my office. Have a nice day Mr. Black." Dumbledore said and went back to the castle.

Sirius looked at Dumbledore as he left, then he climbed his broom and kicked off the ground. He headed to the Quidditch field and started flying in circles around it. He then started to fly higher to the clouds. He wanted to stay away from the ground where troubles seemed to find him. He flew around the castle and then headed to the lake. There he saw a familiar figure walking near the shore with a silver-blond haired boy.

Sirius flew above them and saw that it was Christine and Lucius Malfoy. He cursed Lucius under his breath and flew to the Quidditch field. He flew straight up to the sky and then he looked down. The field was barely visible. Sirius took a dive straight back at the field. He hoped that he would crash to the ground before he could pull to a stop. When he reached the ground he pulled himself up and managed to land. He threw his broom to a side and lay down on the grass. He stared at the sky and kept muttering curses at Lucius Malfoy.

Suddenly, Sirius sat up. "Why am I thinking about her all the time? Why would her walk with Malfoy bother me?" He got up and picked up his broom and walked back to the school. He went to the Gryffindor tower and put his broom in the broom cupboard and then he changed his clothes and wore his school robes. He took his bag and wand and went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

On his way to the Great Hall he saw Christine and Lucius talk to each other in the corridor. Lucius went inside the Great Hall while Christine walked to the opposite direction, which made her meet Sirius.

Sirius smiled when he saw her coming. "Hi." He said and stopped.

"Hi." Christine replied and continued her way.

Sirius turned to look at her he saw her running and she disappeared at the end of the corridor when she turned left to reach the moving stairs. Sirius sighed and shrugged. He was becoming the most unwanted student Hogwarts has ever seen.

"I bet they'll love to see Voldemort every day rather than seeing me." He muttered and entered the hall. He sat at the end of the Gryffindor table and poured some tea in his cup. He drank it quickly and took a bite of bread and went out again. He didn't want to see hundreds of eyes focused on him all day.

He stopped in the corridor and took out his schedule. He had Transfiguration first, so he headed to the classroom. He knocked the door and entered.

Professor McGonagall was reading a book when Sirius entered the classroom. She looked at him with an amazed expression on her face.

"You're early today Mr. Black."

"I woke up early, and I had nothing to do after breakfast, so I thought I would come here and wait." Sirius said. "If you don't mind of course."

"Not at all. We have about twenty minutes before starting." McGonagall said. "Which reminds me of your essay."

Sirius sat in the front row, so he wouldn't look at any of his classmates during class. "What about my essay?"

"I am very impressed of your abilities Mr. Black. Wonderful essay I must admit."

"Thank you professor." Sirius said.

"I wonder why don't you do the same with your actual homework?"

"Do you want me to be honest professor?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Well… because it's homework." Sirius said.

"Hmm…" McGonagall thought for a moment. "So that means I have to give you detention whenever I expect you to do your homework?"

Sirius smiled. "Well, I have a month of it now. I guess you will tell me to do it."

"Ah! I never thought about that." McGonagall smiled.

"Oops!" Sirius said and laughed.

At that moment students started entering the class and they eyed Sirius with loathe when they saw him laugh with the teacher.

Sirius noticed his friends come into the class too, he turned his face from them, but he noticed that James didn't look at his direction at all, like he wasn't there. Sirius felt like he has been stabbed with a knife the moment he saw Christine enter the classroom. She didn't look at him and sat at the far end of the classroom.

"Great. Always act like a fool and you'll become a Death Eater at the end of term." Sirius muttered to himself.

Professor McGonagall started her lesson and the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were listening carefully. Well, with the exception of Sirius, who was lost in his thoughts and that strange annoying new feeling that he gets whenever he sees Christine.


	6. An Unexpected Walk

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Laughing Fountain: Thanks :) Sirius is on his way to do that :) I want it to be special, but unfortunately.... wait! I'm not going to spoil it!! Nononono! Wait and you'll see wink As for Peter, to tell the truth.. I don't like him at all! I'm just putting him here because he was close to them at that time. Although, it's so hard for me to write his lines... I hope I'm doing good with that :) By the way, do you know that you're the ONLY reviewer of this fic?

Chapter 6 - An Unexpected Walk

As the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs finished their Transfiguration class, everyone left for the next class. Sirius waited until everyone was out and noticed that Christine was the last to leave. He quickly gathered his stuff and ran after her.

"Christine!" he called.

Christine stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday."

Christine smiled. "Sirius, you didn't do anything to me. You should apologize to Snape."

"That one would never happen." Sirius said as a-matter-of-fact.

"That's up to you." Christine replied and looked at her watch. "I better go to class now. I have potions and I don't want to be late."

"Alright." Sirius said and turned to leave.

"We can talk later if you want." Christine said.

Sirius turned back to her with a wide smile on his face. "Sure. How about after classes and before my detention?"

"Alright, meet me at the Entrance Hall."

"Okay."

They went in separate directions, each to their own classes. Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts next with the Slytherins. Sirius was the last to enter the classroom and found only one empty seat that was at the far end of the classroom. James hadn't saved him a seat next to him as he always did.

Sirius noticed that Remus was pale. He took out his pocket calendar, ignoring the teacher's notes about identifying Dark Magic items. He looked at the calendar and noticed that the full moon was in a couple of days. He had circled all the possible full moon days to keep them in track. He sighed as he realized that he wouldn't be joining his friends on full moon nights anymore. He put the calendar back in his pocket and stared at the teacher who was showing the class a quaffle that has been used as a dark magic item five hundred years ago.

"The dark wizards have bewitched the quaffle to turn into a fireball when the opponent team members touched it. Many Quidditch players have been sent to the hospital for severe burns." The teacher said.

Lily waved her hand and the teacher looked at her. "Yes Miss Evans?"

"Have such quaffles been used during school matches?" Lily asked.

"Thankfully, no." The teacher replied. "They were used mostly during the Quidditch World Cup and professional Quidditch matches. When one of the teams wanted to win the cup so bad, that they couldn't resist the temptation of using a bewitched quaffle."

"What about the snitch?" one of the Slytherin boys asked.

"The team who was able to use the quaffle without being harmed were able to score and win the match no matter who caught the snitch." The teacher replied.

"You need a brain to figure that one out?" James turned to the Slytherin boy.

"Shut up Potter." The boy replied.

As the class was over everyone walked out; Sirius was the last to leave too. However, this time, Remus stayed behind to talk to him.

"Padfoot." Remus said calmly.

"What do you want?" Sirius replied.

"I wanted to tell you that full moon is in two days, and you're welcome to join us at the Shrieking Shack. I don't care about how the others think, but I want you to be there."

"I have some more important things to do." Sirius replied and walked out, but then he stopped and turned back to Remus. "Thanks anyway." He said and left.

Remus sighed and shrugged. He also walked out of the classroom and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

After lunch they all went to the rest of their classes. Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws, while Hufflepuffs had Herbology and Slytherins had Divination.

After the end of the classes, Sirius went to the Gryffindor common room and headed to his room. He put his bag there and went out. He was going to meet Christine at the Entrance Hall.

As he reached the Entrance Hall, he saw Christine speaking with Lily Evans. He approached them slowly.

"Okay, here he comes." Christine whispered to Lily.

"Just be careful around him." Lily said.

"Don't worry about me." Christine said with a smile.

"Well, in Sirius' case I should worry about all the girls whom he speaks to."

Christine laughed. "Well, we'll see about that."

At that moment Sirius stopped next to them. "Hi." He said with a smile.

"Hi Sirius." Christine said.

"Hello." Lily said. "Alright, I better go and see James. See you later Chris."

"Okay." Christine replied.

Lily went to the Gryffindor tower and Christine turned to look at Sirius.

"How about a walk?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure." Sirius replied.

They walked out to the school grounds. Both of them were silent, until Sirius decided to break the silence.

"So, why did you decide to come to Hogwarts?" he asked.

Christine let out a deep breath. "It's complicated. Let's just say my father decided that it was for the best."

"Oh, okay." Sirius said. "May I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"What did Malfoy want from you?"

Christine smiled. "Lucius? Well, our mothers grew up together. And we know each other since the day we were born."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can say we're childhood friends."

Sirius felt relieved and smiled widely.

"What is it?" Christine asked.

"Nothing."

"Alright, if you say so." Christine said.

They walked until they reached the lake. They sat near the shore.

"So, what did you do for fun at your old school." Sirius asked.

"Do you have to keep reminding me about it?" Christine said as her face expression changed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that…"

"Never mind. Tell me about Hogwarts. I still need to learn about this place."

"Okay, this is the lake as you see. I used to come here with my…" Sirius paused for a moment. "…friends. And we're not allowed to go to the Forbidden Forest. But we always went there… together." Sirius sighed. It was getting hard for him to remember the days when he was with James, Remus and Peter. They were like one person in four different bodies. They did everything together.

"Why don't you talk to them?" Christine asked.

"What?" Sirius was lost in thoughts.

"I can clearly see that you aren't speaking to them, but deep inside you want to."

"They left me alone at the time when I needed them most."

"But don't you think that they did the right thing? If they all confessed, your punishment would've been more than a detention. You all could've been expelled. It's different when two persons are fighting each other. But when it's a group against one, it gets more serious and complicated."

"I don't know." Sirius took a deep breath.

"Try to talk to them, or even one of them. Tell him what you feel and he'll pass it to the others. I'm sure they would understand."

"I can't do it now." Sirius said. "I'm not ready to forgive them, yet."

"I didn't say do it right now. But as soon as you do that, the better it will be."

"Thanks." Sirius said and looked into her eyes. "We barely know each other and you're already helping me."

"That's how I am. No one can change that." Christine smiled and looked at him.

Sirius could feel that strange feeling coming back to him. Was it because of her? Or was it just him imagining things?

Sirius couldn't stop himself from leaning forward to her. That strange feeling was taking over him. He could feel her warm body touch his as their lips touched. Christine didn't stop him when his hand touched her chin as they kissed.

Sirius pulled back to catch his breath and looked at her. "I'm…"

Christine put her finger on his mouth. "Don't say anything." She said. She didn't want to ruin the moment that she longed for since the first time their eyes met at the Leaky Cauldron.

They sat next to each other in silence for a while. Christine put her head on Sirius' shoulder and closed her eyes, while Sirius put his arm around her waist.

Suddenly, Sirius realized that he was being late for his detention. He looked at his watch and it showed 5:15.

"I'm late!" he said.

Christine straightened up. "It's all my fault! Professor McGonagall will be mad at you!"

"She won't. I promise." He said softly. "But I better go now."

"Okay." Christine replied and they both got up.

"I'll see you later maybe."

"Tomorrow. I'll be studying tonight and I won't be out of the common room." Christine said.

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Sirius said and kissed her lips softly.

They both went back to the castle and Sirius ran to McGonagall's office.

"Sorry I'm late professor!" he said as he opened the door.

"Sit down Mr. Black." McGonagall said.

Sirius noticed that James, Remus and Peter were also there and they were writing something.

"May I ask you why are you late today Mr. Black?"

"I… well… I forgot. I was at the library searching for a book and I got carried away." Sirius lied.

"Try to be on time tomorrow." McGonagall said and waved her wand. A book, a quill and a parchment appeared in front of Sirius. "Chapter 25 and 26. Read them and summarize them."

"Alright." Sirius said and started reading.


	7. I Can't Tell You My Secret

****

Laughing Fountain: Thanks for the review :) I guess that most of them are busy in reading "The Girl Who Lived" as most of the reviews are there.

****

Chapter 7 - I Can't Tell You My Secret.

Sirius and Christine decided to keep their relationship a secret. Sirius didn't want anyone to know about it, because he thought that someone would try to ruin it. His main concern was Lucius. Christine assured him that she wouldn't tell Lucius no matter how close they were.

Remus was feeling tired and looked rather ill as the full moon approached. Sirius was feeling sorry for him and wanted to be with Remus and the others that night. They had been going through this for quite a while now and Sirius didn't know how would he feel if he didn't go this time. He wanted to ask Christine for an advice, but he knew that Remus didn't want anyone to know that he's a werewolf, as the wizarding community doesn't accept them as normal people, fearing that they would cause casualties.

Sirius kept an eye on Remus during classes and Remus turned to look at him from the front row from time to time (Sirius kept sitting in the last rows so he would keep himself away from the others.), as to tell him to be there at night.

After their last class with the Slytherins Sirius went to the lake to meet Christine. This was becoming their secret meeting place after classes and after Sirius' detentions.

"Hi." Christine said happily as she threw herself in Sirius' arms.

"Did you miss me?" Sirius asked her playfully as he placed a kiss on her lips.

"Yeah, I missed you." She replied.

"How was your day?" Sirius asked.

"Boring." Christine replied. "I felt lonely."

"I can imagine that. I felt lonely, too."

They sat under a tree and Sirius put his head on Christine's lap as he lay down on the grass.

"I wish this could last forever." Sirius said with closed eyes. "No classes, no detention and one to bother us while we're together."

Christine smiled as she stroked his dark hair. "You know, sometimes I want to stand in the middle of the Great Hall and tell everyone about us."

"I want that too." Sirius said. "But I don't think that this is the best time to do so."

"At least no one would bother us." Christine said understandingly.

Sirius looked at his watch. "I hate to say this, but I better go now. I don't want to be late for detention."

"Alright. How about meeting each other after that?" Christine asked.

"I… I have to go somewhere tonight." Sirius said as he sat up.

"Where?"

"May I ask you not to ask me that one? Please?" Sirius asked.

Christine sighed. "Alright. But I do hope that you're not going to hurt someone again." She told him.

"Not unless I get hurt." Sirius muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Christine asked.

"Oh… don't worry. I won't hurt anyone." He smiled.

"Good. Now you better hurry to your detention. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course. I can't wait for tomorrow to come." Sirius said and got up. How true it was. He wanted this night to pass very fast, and he felt sorry for not being able to meet Christine after detention. He took her hand and helped her to get up and pulled her close to him.

"I'm going to miss you." He said, his hand touching her jaw line.

"I already miss you. But at least we have double potions tomorrow and we can pair up in the class." Christine said with a smile.

"Good idea!" he gave her a kiss. "I better run now."

"Take care."

"Okay, you too." Sirius said and ran back to the castle.

Christine stayed near the lake for a while. She didn't know what Sirius was up to. However, he sounded strange when he spoke about 'going somewhere' tonight. She remembered Lily telling her to be careful with him, and it seemed that Lily was right.

"I'll keep an eye on you Sirius Black." Christine told herself and walked back to the castle.

Sirius entered the classroom and saw McGonagall sitting there reading a book.

"You're early Mr. Black." She said calmly without looking at him.

"Didn't have anything else to do." Sirius replied as he sat down. "What am I going to write today?"

"You're not going to write anything. I have other assignment for you and your friends." McGonagall said. "We'll wait for them to come and then I'll tell you about it."

"Okay." Sirius replied.

As soon as James and Peter came in, McGonagall smiled. "Now that you're here, you will go to the Trophy Room with Mr. Filch. He'll tell you about the details."

"Professor, you know what night it is tonight. Don't you?" James asked.

"Yes Mr. Potter, and don't worry. I have asked Mr. Filch to let you go at nine o'clock. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time until Mr. Lupin's transformation." McGonagall replied.

"Yes, thanks professor." James said. "Remus is at the Shrieking Shack now. He wasn't feeling good."

"I know. Thankfully, he has such good friends as you who are ready to risk their own lives to be with him on the hardest nights of his life." McGonagall smiled. "Now go or you'll be late."

The three sixth years walked out of the classroom and headed to Filch's office.

Christine reached the Entrance Hall and met Lucius who left his friends and approached her with a charming smile on his face.

"Hello Chris." He said playfully and put his arm around her shoulder and walked along with her.

"Hi Lucius." Christine replied with a smile.

"Where were you?"

"Outside as you can see. I needed a walk."

"Is something bothering you? You go for a walk alone only when there's something wrong." Lucius said.

"Don't worry. Everything is fine." Christine smiled.

"Want to join us for dinner?"

"Maybe some other time. I have homework to do and I don't want to leave it for the night."

"Alright. If you need any help, you know where to find me."

"Okay."

Lucius went back to his friends as Christine went to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Hello Christine!" said Jane, the first year student who was jinxed by Peter.

"Hi Jane." Christine replied. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. I earned five points for our house today at Transfiguration!"

"How nice!" Christine said as she sat on a couch next to Jane. "What did you do?"

"I turned a match into a needle! I never managed to do it since the beginning of term, and today I made it!"

"That's wonderful!" Christine said and gave Jane a hug.

"And how was your day?" Jane asked.

"It was good." Christine smiled. "I went to the lake."

"I've never been there before. How does it look like? Is it nice?" Jane asked.

"Yes, we'll take you there next time." Christine said and put her hand on her mouth. She was about to tell Sirius' name.

"Oh, so you don't go there alone." Jane said excitedly, without noticing Christine's sudden blush. "You're dating someone?"

"Er… no." Christine said. "I went there with… with Lily. Yeah, Lily Evans. She's a Gryffindor and we are friends."

"How nice! And you will take me with you to the lake?"

"Of course we will. I'll let you know the next time we go there." Christine said. "Now I have to go to my room. I need to change my clothes and get my books to do some homework."

"Okay, see you later." Jane said.

Christine smiled and went to the Girls' Dormitories and headed to her room. She changed her school uniform with more comfortable clothes and lay on her bed. She was going to wait until Sirius' detention ends so she would go and follow him wherever he was going to.

Something bothered her though. Christine could feel that Sirius was hiding something from her and she wanted to know what was it. If they were supposed to be together, then they shouldn't keep secrets from each other.

"How can I think about that if I have my own secrets that I can't reveal?" She said to herself.

Christine was one of the best students that Beauxbatons. She was excellent in all her classes. Teachers never complained about her and her parents were proud of her. She was a loyal friend. Her classmates trusted her in everything but only some of them became her closest friends. Although, some other students used to call her bookworm, as she used to keep studying all the time but she has never complained about it.

Everything seemed perfect for Christine at her old school. She passed her O.W.L.s and even managed to become a registered animagus. Lucky for her, the French Ministry of Magic allowed sixth year students to register their animagus forms and Christine was one of the firsts in her class who registered. Her happy life at Beauxbatons came to its end when one night at the end of September she tried to help her best friend Helene.

Helene was on her way to a date with a Muggle boy whom she liked. She managed to sneak out of the school one night and Christine was the only person who knew about it.

Christine was reading a book when she heard a scream not so far from the school. She looked out of the window of her room and saw a small figure of a girl running and a guy was chasing her. Christine recognized her friend at once. As there was no one else outside at that time.

The guy managed to catch Helene and started beating her. Christine knew that there was something wrong. She took her wand and ran out of the school. She reached the part of the school grounds where the guy was beating her best friend. She pointed her wand at him and stunned him. Then she went to see how her friend was.

Helene was unconscious. She had several cuts and bruises on her body and face. Christine tried to carry Helene to the Hospital wing, but she was hit from the back. She dropped Helene to the ground and turned to see the guy holding a wand in his hand. She realized that her friend was tricked and her supposed-to-be boyfriend wasn't a Muggle at all. He was a wizard. They dueled and Christine did a lethal mistake by using one of the unforgivable curses. She used the Cruciatus curse on him and at that moment one of the teachers who has also heard their shouts and screams came to that spot.

Helene was dead. The wizard has caused damage to her brain as he hit her continuously. He was sent to Azkaban for murder. Christine was convicted for using an unforgivable curse, and she was expelled from school.

Her parents decided that it was best for them to return back to England and live there. They contacted with Albus Dumbledore and he agreed to interview Christine for a chance to study at Hogwarts. Christine told Dumbledore what had actually happened the night her friend died and she even convinced him to use Veritaserum on her. Of course, Dumbledore believed her and didn't use the truth potion, and gave her the chance to continue her education at Hogwarts as a transferred student. No one was to know that Christine was expelled. The British Ministry of Magic agreed on giving her a second chance and also registered her animagus form. As they knew that she would use her animagus ability weather she was registered or not. Therefore, it was better to make it legal.

Christine wiped her tears as she remembered the night that Helene died. How was she supposed to make Sirius tell her about his secrets if she wasn't going to tell him about her own? She hasn't even told her childhood friend Lucius about her expulsion from Beauxbatons.

She got up from her bed and looked at her watch. It was nine o'clock. Sirius was about to finish his detention and she was determined to follow him wherever he was going to. She went to look out of the window. The moon was full and it was already dark outside. Only the sounds of the night creatures and the happy sounds of the Hufflepuff students who were at the common room could be heard.

Christine pulled a jacket on and took her wand with her. She walked out of the room and headed to the common room. Jane noticed her immediately.

"Christine! Where are you going at this time? If Filch saw you…"

"Don't worry Jane. I'm going to see Professor McGonagall. I forgot to take a… book from her." Christine replied and walked out quickly.

She let out a sigh of relief when she was in the corridors. She looked around and when she was sure there was no one there, she continued walking, until she heard two boys speaking in a whisper and heading to her direction. She hid in a corner and waited for them to pass. Then she walked to the direction of McGonagall's office. She saw Sirius getting out of the office and she opened the closest classroom door and entered. She waited for him to pass and then she took her head out and made sure he was far enough to be followed without noticing her.

Christine walked out of the classroom and followed Sirius. He went to the Entrance Hall and then he went out to the school grounds. Christine followed him, wondering where he was heading.

Her eyes widened at the sight of an enormous tree that seemed to go crazy at the moment Sirius reached it. She didn't notice what Sirius did that caused the tree to stop waving its branches, and she decided to wait where she was until he came out. She chose a spot for her under a tree and sat down.

Sirius entered the passage that led to the Shrieking Shack and walked slowly. He didn't know how would his friends treat him, but he wanted to be with them tonight.

As he reached the Shrieking Shack he went straight to the room on the second floor where he heard voices. He pushed the door open slowly and walked in.

The three Marauders stared at him with a shock. They didn't expect to see him there.

"What do you want?" James said as he got up.

Sirius looked at the ground as he spoke. "I… I wanted to apologize to you all." He said. "I'm really sorry that I acted like a jerk."

James sighed and looked at the others. Remus was smiling and Peter was still shocked. Remus nodded to James and he turned back to Sirius. He walked to him and put his hand on Sirius' shoulder.

"No need to be sorry mate." James said. "We all have our share of mistakes."

Sirius looked at James' eyes and smiled. "I wanted to be with you all the time. I couldn't stand being alone with no one to talk to all day, and I wanted to thank you all for getting yourself into detention just to be there with me."

"Finally! His brain is back!!" Remus said happily.

James smiled at Sirius and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry for not talking to you all these days Padfoot!"

"I'm sorry too Prongs!"

"Welcome back Padfoot!" Remus said as he slowly got up and gave Sirius a hug.

"Thanks Moony." Sirius replied.

"It's good to see us together again." Peter said.

"It sure is!" Sirius said and hugged Peter too. "I missed you guys! You can't believe how hard it was for me to stay away from you. Now I understand that I shouldn't have treated you that way."

"It was hard for us to see you away too Padfoot." Remus said. "And I'm glad you came tonight."

"I had to turn down a date to come here instead, you know!" Sirius said.

"You did what?" James exclaimed. "A date? With whom??"

"Sorry, can't tell you right now. I promised her." Sirius said.

"Oh come on mate! You can trust us! We won't tell a bug!" James said excitedly.

"Prongs, he promised her not to tell anyone!" Remus said. "I'm sure we'll be the first to know when he decides to speak."

"Yeah, I promise that you'll be the first to know." Sirius said.

"Oh alright." James whined. "Can you tell us the first letter of her name?"

"Nope."

"How about her house? Which house is she from?" Peter asked.

"I'm not telling. I promised her!" Sirius said. "I don't want to ruin this relationship. She makes me feel different, and that's what I like in her. I don't want to lose her just for having a big mouth!"

"Alright, no more questions about her until you decide to answer them." James said.

"Thanks for understanding." Sirius said with a large smile on his face.


	8. Animagus?

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Chapter 8 - Animagus?

As midnight came close, Remus started to feel pain. He was going to transform.

"Guys… I think it's happening." Remus said.

"Alright Moony. We're here with you." James said.

"Yeah, don't worry Moony." Peter said.

"We'll do it as always. After transforming we'll go out to the forest." Sirius said and everyone nodded in agreement.

Remus' cramps were becoming stronger. Sirius, James and Peter quickly transformed into their animagus forms as Remus started to transform into the werewolf. He howled in pain as his body changed. His skin was covered with fur and his canines grew longer and sharper. His eye color turned to yellow and his ears grew longer. When he was finally transformed he growled at the three animals that were standing in front of him. A black dog, a stag and a rat. They looked at each other and then they ran out of the room. The dog was the last to leave.

The werewolf chased the rat and the stag into the forest, while Sirius transformed back to his human form. He walked out of the passage and looked around. Someone was watching, he could feel it. He looked around but couldn't see anyone. An eagle caught his attention, though. It was sitting on a rock not so far from the Whomping Willow. Sirius looked at it and then he saw his friends running around. He transformed back to his dog form and joined them.

Moony was trying to catch Prongs as he was considered a delicious meal at the moment. Wormtail was trying his best to avoid them, as he was the tiniest among them and they could step on him and smash him easily.

The Eagle flew high in the air and was watching them from above. Padfoot barked at it and then he turned his attention at Moony who was heading at his direction. Padfoot ran away, no matter how strong he was, Moony was dangerous and he didn't know what was going on around him. All he cared at that moment was food, no matter what kind it was.

Prongs and Wormtail tried to distract Moony, but he seemed very interested in Padfoot at this moment. He kept chasing him until they reached the lake. Moony and Padfoot got into a fight and Prongs joined them in the hope to separate them.

With one wave of his front paws, Moony managed to push Prongs away and he jumped at Padfoot. At that moment the eagle flew straight at Moon and scratched his shoulder with its claws. Moony's attention changed to the attacker now. Dinner can wait. The eagle kept attacking Moony and hitting him with its beak or claws and Moony was defending himself by jumping at the eagle and trying to hit it with his front paws.

Padfoot kept barking at Moony, Prongs joined them and pushed Moony but he didn't seem to be interested in them anymore. The eagle was becoming so annoying and he wanted to get rid of it.

As the eagle was heading down at him, Moony let out a howl and jumped at the eagle. This time, he hit it and scratched its right wing. The eagle dropped to the ground for a moment and then it tried to fly again, but it couldn't. Moony growled at it and walked closer, his canines bared and his yellow eyes shining in the darkness of the night. The eagle kept trying to fly but it only managed to jump a few feet at a time. Its wing was bleeding badly and it didn't seem to help him at all.

Padfoot jumped between the eagle and Moony and growled at him. This time he managed to turn Moony's attention over at him and he ran away. Moony followed him, forgetting all about the eagle that was now walking away with its injured arm being dragged by its side.

As the hours passed, none of them saw the eagle anymore. They were back to the Shrieking Shack and were transformed back to their human forms. Remus had a few scratches on his face and shoulder and he was sleeping on the bed. Sirius also had some scratches on his body, but James and Peter were untouched.

"That was a bloody hell of a night!" Sirius said.

"Yeah! I wonder where did that eagle come from?" James asked.

"Maybe it lives in the Forbidden Forest." Peter said.  
"I don't think so. There are no eagles around here." James said.

"But how did it end up here at the first place?" Sirius asked. "And where did it go?"

"It was injured." Peter said.

"Could it be dead?" James asked. "I mean, it was bleeding the last time I saw it."

"It probably is dead by now. I'm sure it lost a huge amount of blood." Sirius said.

Remus opened his eyes and looked around. "Are you all alive?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Yep." Sirius replied.

"Good." Remus said and closed his eyes again.

"Not so fast Moony! We need to take you to the hospital wing! You can get all the sleep you need over there." James said.

"I don't need to go to the hospital wing." Remus said and tried to sit, but his body ached.

"Don't even bother." Sirius said. "You have tons of scratches on you mate. You had quite a fight with an eagle last night."

"I did?" Remus asked and managed to sit, ignoring the burning pain of his body.

"Yeah, it came out of nowhere when you decided that Padfoot was going to be your dinner." Peter said.

"My dinner! Merlin's beard! Padfoot, I hope I didn't hurt you!" Remus said.

"No worries mate. I'm fine. Only a few scratches, but I'll live." Sirius replied with a smile.

"The sun is rising." James said as looked outside of the window. "We better take you to the hospital wing and go to our room before anyone wakes up."

"Alright." Remus said and tried to get up.

James and Sirius helped him to get up and they took him out of the Shrieking Shack. Peter followed them closely. The walked out of the passage and headed to the castle. On their way, Peter noticed someone lying on the ground.

"Is that a girl?" he asked.

James, Sirius and Remus stopped and turned to look at the spot Peter was pointing at.

"It seems to be a girl." James said. "What is she doing here?"

"Peter, come and take my place here." Sirius said. "I'll go and see who is she."

Peter took Sirius' place near Remus and held him tightly so he wouldn't fall. Sirius walked to the girl and before he could reach her, he recognized her at once.

"Christine!" he shouted and ran to her.

"Who's Christine?" Peter asked.

"Isn't she the new girl?" James asked. "What was she doing here last night? I didn't see her. Did you?"

Peter and Remus shook their heads.

Sirius ran toward Christine and knelt next to her. He turned her around so she would lie on her back and noticed that her clothes were covered with blood and her right arm had a long, deep wound on it.

"Bloody hell! It can't be!" he said. "Oh Christine please be alive!" he put his head on her chest and he could hear her heart beating. "Thank goodness you're alive." He said as tears rolled down his cheeks. He carried her and walked back to the others.

"Who is she?" Peter asked.

"Christine Williams. The new Hufflepuff girl." Sirius said as he sniffed.

"Sirius, you're crying." Remus said calmly.

"Let's go to the hospital wing." Sirius said.

"Blimey! She is the one, isn't she?" James asked.

"Let's go." Sirius said, ignoring the last question.

They all walked to the hospital wing and went straight to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was there to meet them, as she knew all about Remus. However, to her surprise, she saw Sirius carrying a girl who seemed in a ver bad shape.

"Put here on the bed!" she said to Sirius and then turned to the others. "Take Remus to the second bed on the left."

Sirius carried Christine over to the bed, which Madam Pomfrey pointed at. It was located at the far end of the room. He put her on the bed and stood next to her.

Madam Pomfrey muttered a few spells at Remus and his scratched disappeared. "You'll need to stay here for a couple of days before going back to classes."

"Alright." Remus said and lay down.

"You need to sleep Moony. We'll take care of Sirius and we'll tell you everything later." James said.

"Okay. See you later." Remus said and closed his eyes.

James and Peter walked toward Sirius who was staring at Christine with tears in his eyes.

"Sirius…" James said. "I'm sorry mate."

"It's not your fault." Sirius said. "We don't know who did this to her, but I'm suspecting something."

At that moment Madam Pomfrey came. "You must leave now boys. I need to work here, and this girl's injury seems deep."

"I think she has lost a big amount of blood." Sirius said. "She's pale."

"Don't worry dear, she'll be fine. Come back later if you want to see her." Madam Pomfrey said.

"I will." Sirius said and walked out of the infirmary with James and Peter.

"So, what were you suspecting?" James asked as they entered their common room.

"You saw the wound on her arm?" Sirius asked and James nodded. "It was her right arm, doesn't that remind you of something?"

"No. Should it?" James asked.

"The eagle that appeared last night was injured in its right wing." Peter said.

"But what does that have to do with…" James paused as the thought it hit him. "She was the eagle?"

"I'm sure it was her. We didn't see the body of the eagle after it left us." Sirius put his face in his hands. "I can't believe it! She's an animagus and didn't even tell me about it!"

"Sirius, is she the girl you were speaking about?" James asked and Sirius nodded. "I knew it! Since when?"

"A couple of days ago." Sirius replied.

"You have to tell me all the details mate!" James said excitedly.

"Don't worry, I will."

"I'm sure she'll be fine Sirius." Peter said.

"Yeah, I hope so." Sirius replied and tilted his head back on the couch. "She'll be fine." He repeated.


	9. Get Well Soon!

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A/N: Sorry for the delay to update. I have no excuses for that. I just… didn't have enough time for myself.

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Wren Craven: Thank you for your reviews :) It brightened up my day.

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Laughing Fountain: Thanks again for reviewing :)

Chapter 9 - Get Well Soon!

Sirius sat in front of the fireplace at the Gryffindor common room. He stared blankly at the flames and didn't seem to notice the other students who were coming in and out of the room.

James came in and sat next to Sirius. He looked at his friend's exhausted face and sighed.

"Padfoot?" James started.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… about Christine. If Moony had caused that injury, do you think she would also become a… a werewolf?"

Sirius' face went pale. He knew how hard it was for Remus to accept his life as it is, and he didn't want to see Christine going through all that.

"I don't know Prongs." He replied without looking at James.

"I know that lycanthropy can be caused by a bite, but I've never heard about a scratch."

"A deep one that made the injured person lose consciousness because of blood loss." Sirius said dryly. "The wound is so deep and it's… uh…" Sirius sighed. "I don't even want to think about it. It's hard for Remus, and you know how people react upon meeting a werewolf. I don't want that to happen to her."

"Yes, I know what you mean." James put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Listen, why don't you go and pay her a visit? She must be awake now, it's been more than two hours."

"I don't know. I have a feeling that Malfoy would be there now and I don't want to see him."

"Well, at least his bodyguard isn't here." James said with a smile and Sirius nodded. "But why would he be with her? He doesn't fancy her, does he?"

"I don't think that Christine would allow him to even think about it. They are childhood friends."

"Really? I can't imagine a friend out of Malfoy."

"Who can?" Sirius shrugged.

"Snivelly"

No one knew how Severus Snape was doing. They hadn't heard any news of him since Dumbledore announced about his situation a few days ago. Sirius was beginning to think that Snape was dead and he was going to be expelled and sent to Azkaban.

Snape was lying in a bed at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He was put in the Department of Artifact Accidents, as there wasn't a department that dealt with Muggle style injuries.

The nurse kept checking on him from time to time. He has lost some fair amount of blood, due to the internal bleeding, and he was pale for the first two days, but now his skin was back to normal color, although he had the bruises that Sirius caused.

Severus opened his eyes to see a young woman adjusting his bed sheet. As soon as she saw him open his eyes she put a hand on her mouth and gasped in surprise.

"That's incredible!" she said.

"What's incredible?" Snape asked.

"No one believed that you'll survive." The nurse said in a sad tone.

"Oh well, it seems they were wrong."

"I do hope that they will remain wrong." She smiled at him. "How are you feeling anyway?"

"I don't know. Dizzy, tired, sleepy… and dirty. I want to take a bath if it's possible." He asked.

"I will give you a potion that the healer had suggested and after drinking it you will fall asleep."

"But I don't want to sleep!" Snape protested, but the nurse pushed the spoon into his mouth and he couldn't do anything but swallow the small amount of potion that the nurse gave him.

"Now lay down and relax." She said as she put the spoon in a tray and took it in her hands. She walked to the door and before getting out, she turned and saw Snape yawning and resisting his sudden urge to sleep. In a few seconds, he was asleep. The nurse smiled and walked out of the room.

She headed to the office of the Healer who was responsible for Snape's healing process. She knocked the door and came in.

"Mr. Snape was awake a couple of minutes ago." She said with a smile.

"That's good news." The old healer replied. "Did you give him the potion?"

"Yes and he's back to sleep."

"That will keep him sleeping until next morning and he'll be ready to go back to school. I will send an owl to Dumbledore informing him about this aright now. You can go back to your work."

The nurse nodded and left the room. The healer wrote a letter to Dumbledore and after finishing it he left his office and headed to the roof of the hospital, where they kept their owls. He attached the letter to the leg of one of the owls and sent it out. The owl flew high in the sky and disappeared.

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Professor Dumbledore was sitting in his office signing some parchments for the Ministry of Magic when he heard a tap on his window. He turned around and saw a brown owl standing on the edge of the window. He got up and opened the window and took the letter from the owl. The bird flew away instantly and Dumbledore opened the letter and read it.

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Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I'm pleased to inform you that Mr. Severus Snape, one f your students who was severely injured and has been put at our hospital, has awaken from his coma a few minutes ago. We have given him a strong healing potion and he will be ready to come back to school by tomorrow morning. Please be prepared to collect him at ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

Sincerely,

T. Firewing

General Healer

Department of Artifact Injuries

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Professor Dumbledore smiled with relief. He wouldn't have to expell a student, now that Severus Snape was healed. He folded the letter, put it in the envelope and then he placed it in one of the drawers of his desk. He walked around the room for a couple of minutes and then he patted Fawks' head before leaving his office and heading to the hospital Wing to attend another injured student.

As he walked through the corridors he saw students running on their way to their classes. Some of them greeted him as they passed and some of them (mostly first years) froze in their tracks as they saw him. He smiled to each one of them, knowing that they were not used to see the headmaster among them all the time, which made him think about making regular visits to classes.

When he reached the Hospital Wing he headed to the infirmary and opened the door slowly, trying his best not to make a sound that would disturb any of the ill students who were inside. As he entered he closed the door behind him and looked around. There were four students there. One of them was asleep, and the other was reading a book, which seemed to be taking his full attention that he didn't notice that someone has just entered the infirmary. The third student was sitting near the bed of the fourth, which was lying in the bed, motionless. He headed to that couple slowly.

"Good afternoon Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said in a low voice.

Lucius jumped from his seat, as he didn't expect to see the headmaster there. "Good afternoon professor."

"I'm sorry I startled you. I didn't mean to."

"Oh, no. I just didn't expect anyone to come. That's all." Lucius said as his face turned pink.

"How is Miss Williams doing?" the headmaster asked, as he stepped closer to the bed.

"She has awaken yet." Lucius sighed. "Do you think that…"

"I'm sure that Madam Pomfrey has taken good care of her. And from what I see, her injury is deep and she must have lost a big amount of blood."

"She did. Madam Pomfrey said that she has been injured last night and has been found only in the morning."

"I see." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Why don't you go to the Great Hall and have something to eat? I'm sure you have missed lunch."

"I'm not hungry professor, but thank you."

"And I believe you were not excused from classes either."

Lucius looked at the ground. None of the teachers have excused him from classes for the day and that meant that he was being absent on purpose, no matter what were the circumstances.

"Am I going to get a detention?"

"I am not going to give you a detention Mr. Malfoy. You haven't done something wrong by accompanying your friend at her time of need."

"I would never leave her alone from now on."

Dumbledore smiled at the last remark. It was a rare event to hear Lucius Malfoy caring about someone who wasn't even in the same house as his. Even Dumbledore had never expected to hear it from Lucius, let alone seeing him sitting next to the bed of his best friend hoping to see her healed.

"Professor, how long do you think it would take until she wakes up?" Lucius asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately I cannot tell. It all depends on her and her will to survive. But I do hope that she'll get better soon."

Lucius nodded and looked at Christine who was lying in the bed. Her skin was pale and her right arm was wrapped in bandage.

"Couldn't Madam Pomfrey just heal the wound?" Lucius asked.

"I'm sure she has her reasons for not doing so." Dumbledore replied. "I think that it is time for you to go to class Mr. Malfoy. I'll ask Madam Pomfrey to call you when Miss Williams wakes up."

Lucius got up from his seat. "Alright professor." He walked to the door and stopped at the entrance. "Professor, do you have any idea who did this?"

"Unfortunately, I don't." the headmaster replied.

Lucius walked out of the infirmary and headed to the Slytherin common room instead of going to class. He wasn't in the mood of attending another annoying lecture of Professor Binns' let alone meeting the Gryffindors there. He headed to his room and closed the door after him. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had so much to think about. He desperately wanted to know who was the person, or animal that hurt Christine.

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Sirius stormed out of class as soon as he heard the teacher say the words "Class dismissed." he went straight to the Hospital Wing to check on Christine. He was hoping that he won't meet Lucius there, or his visit to the infirmary would end up turning into a battlefield.

As he approached the door, he opened it slowly and entered. He looked around and found Christine's bed and walked to its direction. He sat next to her and looked at her with sad eyes. He wiped a single tear that scrolled down his cheek and put his hand on her cheek.

"Please don't die." He whispered. "I know that I saw you last night and I feel that it's my fault that this happened to you. I don't know if you'll ever forgive me, but I'm sorry that I didn't pay attention to you at that moment. I didn't know that the eagle was actually you."

Sirius sighed and wiped his eyes again. He couldn't control the tears of guilt that started to scroll down his cheeks. He wanted to do something about this situation. If only he could turn back time… but he couldn't. That was impossible.

He took Christine's left hand and held it for a while. He noticed that she was warm. He smiled at her face as it started to gain color. She wasn't pale anymore and that made him happy. He leaned close to her face and kissed her lips gently, and then he got up and was about to leave when he heard a moan. He turned around to see Christine trying to shift in bed, and that caused pain to her.

"Chris?" he whispered as he went back to her side. He knelt near the bed and held her hand. "Chris can you hear me?"

"It hurts." Christine said with closed eyes. "It hurts." She put her left hand on her right arm.

"I'll call Madam Pomfrey. I'm sure she has some kind of pain relieving potion." Sirius got up and rushed out to find the medi-witch.

As soon as he found her, he brought her to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey took out a vial from a small wardrobe and poured some potion into a spoon. She walked to Christine's bed and put her free hand under Christine's head and lifted it up a little bit.

"Christine, honey? Open your mouth, I'm going to give you a potion that will ease the pain."

Christine obeyed silently and opened her mouth as the medi-witch put the spoon in. Christine swallowed the potion and made voices that resembled her disgust toward that medicine.

"She'll fall asleep now." Madam Pomfrey turned to Sirius. "You should go to your common room now."

"I can't. I don't want to." Sirius replied. "Can I stay with her, please?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Alright as I can see, you truly care for her."

Sirius blushed a little bit. "Thank you so much." He said and sat near her on the bed.

Christine opened her eyes and looked at the blurry place. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with one hand and then saw that Sirius was sitting next to her.

"Hi Sirius." She smiled.

"Hello dear, how do you feel?" Sirius said and removed a lock of hair from her face.

"I feel numb. That medicine felt like a sleeping potion."

"Maybe it should make you sleep so you won't feel pain."

"Maybe." Christine replied and closed her eyes.

"Sleep my love." Sirius whispered and leaned to kiss her again. "I'll see you in the morning."


	10. Snape Returns

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Chapter 10 - Snape Returns

"How touching." Lucius said as he approached Christine's bed in the infirmary. She was sleeping and Sirius was sitting near the bed.

Sirius turned to stare at Lucius. He managed to hide his surprise of the sudden interruption of silence in the room.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Sirius asked.

"I'm the one who should ask you that. What are _you_ doing here?"

"That's none of your business." Sirius got up and left the infirmary.

Lucius looked at him as he left. He suspected that there was something going on between the two.

"He did this to her." Lucius muttered. "And now you're feeling guilty about it, aren't you Black?"

He sat next to Christine on the bed and held her hand. "I hope that you'll feel better soon, and I'll make sure that Black would pay for doing this to you."

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The students were at the Great Hall having dinner when the door opened. Suddenly all eyes were staring at a black, greasy haired boy who walked in gracefully and took a seat at the Slytherin table.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and that made the students turn their full attention to him.

"My dear students, I am pleased to welcome one of our students. As you can see Severus Snape has joined us again fully healed from his injury."

Everyone in the Hall applauded happily for Snape's return, except for Sirius, who was glaring at him like he wanted a chance to rip his throat out.

"I wish I killed him." Sirius muttered.

"Don't be such a fool Sirius." Peter said. "Just leave him alone. The teachers are going to keep an eye on you and you better be careful. I heard them talking about it this morning at the Hospital Wing when I was visiting Remus."

"I don't care about the teachers." Sirius snapped and got up. Peter stared at him in disbelief.

"What's wrong with him?" Peter asked.

"Maybe it's because of Christine, the new Hufflepuff girl." James replied with a full mouth.

"Oh." Peter said and continued his meal.

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Sirius didn't know where to go. He didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing because he knew that he would see Lucius there and he wasn't in the mood for a fight. He was about to go to the Gryffindor tower when he changed his mind. He needed to be alone and there was only one place where no one would disturb him.

The Shrieking Shack.

Sirius walked through the school grounds until he reached the Whomping Willow. He transformed into his dog form and ran toward the entrance at the base of the tree. He barked loudly and howled in pain as one of the branches hit his back. He managed to enter the passage and transformed back into his human form.

He cursed loudly at the pain in his back. He walked through the passage and as soon as he entered the Shack he hurried to a room and searched for a mirror. He saw one and took off his robes and shirt and turned around to check his back in the mirror.

The branch has caused a scratch and a big red mark on his back.

"Bloody tree." Sirius muttered as he put on his shirt. He picked up his school robes and went to another room. There were four beds in that room and it was the one where he and his friends slept during the full moon nights.

He threw his robe on the edge of the bed and lay down on it. He stared at the ceiling for a while, remembering his short but wonderful moments with Christine. She was with him all day until the time of his detention.

Detention! He already missed one today and it won't do him any good to show up late.

"Professor McGonagall might start questioning me about why I was here." He said to himself. "I wish…" he sighed. "Whatever."

He knew that none of his wishes would come true while Snape and Malfoy were around. He never liked them since his first day at Hogwarts.

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Lucius turned around to see Severus enter the infirmary.

"They said that I'd find you here." Snape said in a whispering manner.

"Hi mate!" Lucius whispered back and got up to give Severus a friendly hug. "It's good to see you back."

"Thanks." Severus replied and looked at Christine. "Who's she?"

"An old friend who end up here by Sirius Black."

"Looks like he has an aim to hurt every student at school." Severus said.

"I won't let him get away with it." Lucius' voice was getting louder.

"You'll wake her up you know, and not only her." Severus motioned to the bed where Remus was sleeping.

"Yeah. I think that it would be better if we went to our common room. She's not going to wake up tonight anyway." Lucius looked at Christine, who was still sleeping peacefully.

"Let's go then." Severus said.

They left the infirmary and headed to the Slytherin common room. As soon as they entered all the Slytherins jumped in front of them and screamed: "SURPRISE!!"

"What the…" Lucius was surprised. He saw a big flashing sign at the top of the fireplace saying: "Welcome back Sev!" and he understood what that was all about. He smiled as he saw Severus being pulled by some of their classmates to the center of the room and the first years formed a circle around him and danced.

Severus looked at them with a smile on his face. He didn't know that his housemates would feel so happy for his return. He never thought that they would even care that he was at the hospital at all. This was new to him. He looked at Lucius who smiled at him and nodded. He smiled back. This was unbelievable. The room was decorated in green and silver ribbons and there was a table full of food in one corner. Severus decided that it was time to be hungry, at least he would sneak out of the circle. He walked toward the table slowly, smiling at anyone who would be looking at him. As soon as he reached the table he poured himself some apple juice and drank it. Lucius joined him and stood next to him.

"Looks like our friends here are happy to see you back." Lucius said.

"I didn't expect that, honestly."

"I didn't either. But I think that it's good to have them on our side."

Severus didn't know what was Lucius talking about at that moment, until it hit him. Lucius has been telling him about a strong wizard who is collecting talented young wizards around him and train them to become as strong as he is, and he wanted the school of magic to teach only true witches and wizards, which meant that only purebloods would study there. Severus liked the idea of purebloods being the only wizards around, and he was convinced to join the strong wizard that Lucius has been talking about, but one thing was a mystery for him. Lucius has never told him the name of the wizard. He always referred to him as The Dark Lord. Severus never asked Lucius about the choice of the name, although he was curious about the reason for the wizard to be called a Dark Lord. Did he have anything to do with dark magic? Severus wanted to know, and he was planning on accepting Lucius' suggestion to join him and his "Lord".

"Yeah, sure." Severus muttered as he took another sip of juice. "You know Lucius, I think I might join your group after all."

"That's wonderful mate! The Dark Lord will be more than happy to have you on his side. He's a very powerful wizard you know." Lucius said excitedly.

"You have told me about that."

"Hey, isn't that Narcissa?" Lucius motioned to a girl at a corner of the room.

"Black?" Severus asked.

"Yeah, I think it's her. She looks different each day and I can't even recognize her." Lucius' eyes were stuck at Narcissa who was speaking to another Slytherin girl. "I'll go and talk to her."

The little Slytherin party continued until midnight. Lucius was having fun dancing with Narcissa Black, the girl that he liked so much but never had a chance to tell her about his feelings. He had an image to keep after all!

"I'm going to bed." Severus told Lucius and went to the boys' dormitories. He entered his room and looked around. The few days that he spent at the hospital seemed to be an eternity. He never thought that he would miss this place. He changed into his pajamas and lay in his bed. "Home sweet home." He muttered before he drifted into sleep.


	11. Visitors

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FleurInBloom: Thanks for the review :) Christine is awake now, but she won't be seeing Sirius in this chapter :) But no worries, he'll pay her a visit in the next one ;) Oh, and when are you going to post your story?

**Gavroche-Girl:** Thank you! :)

**Rylie: **No worries :) Better late than never :) I'm waiting for your next review :)

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Chapter 11 - Visitors

Christine opened her eyes and looked around. She was alone in the infirmary. She tried to sit, but her body hurt and her injured arm wasn't feeling any better. She groaned and closed her eyes. The sound of footsteps made her open her eyes again and she smiled when she saw Lucius approaching.

"Good morning Chris."

"Morning." She replied in a sleepy voice.

"How are you feeling today?" Lucius kissed her forehead and sat next to her.

"I don't know. My body hurts, I think it's because of staying in bed for a long time." She replied. "How long have I been here anyway?"

"A couple of days."

"Oh God, and I missed classes, too."

"Don't worry about classes. All you need to think about is your health. Classes can wait." Lucius said with a smile, but at the sound of the opening door his smile faded and he turned to see who was it, thinking that it would be Sirius. Instead, he saw a first year girl enter the infirmary with a rose in her hand.

Christine smiled at the sight of Jane entering the room. "Jane! How nice it is to see you."

"Hello Christine." Jane said and tears filled her eyes instantly. She hugged Christine and started to cry.

"Don't cry honey, I'm alright." Christine moved her hand through Jane's hair. "Shhh. Don't cry."

"I was scared that you might die." Jane said between sobs. "Madam Pomfrey didn't let anyone in, except for Lucius Malfoy and Sirius Black."

"She didn't let you in?" Christine said and looked at Lucius, who shrugged. "I'll tell her that you're always welcome to come and see me as long as I'm here."

Jane let go of Christine and wiped her tears. "I'm happy to see you again." She managed to smile, and gave the rose to Christine. "I brought this for you."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you." Christine said and pulled Jane close and kissed her cheek. "Thank you." She smiled.

Lucius cleared his throat, which made the girls pay attention to him.

"Oh, sorry Lucius." Christine said. "Meet Jane, she's also in Hufflepuff and she's my friend. Jane, this is Lucius Malfoy, he's also my friend."

"Nice to meet you." Jane said shyly.

"Nice to meet you too Jane." Lucius smiled. He didn't like Hufflepuffs just because they were Hufflepuffs, but he didn't show it in front of Christine. She was his best friend, and it wasn't her fault that she was sorted into a house full of half-bloods and muggle-borns.

"So, tell me Jane, how were your classes in the past two days?" Christine asked.

"Good." Jane replied as she sat on a chair near the bed. "Transfiguration and Charms are my favorites. I can levitate a feather now!" she added excitedly.

"How nice!" Christine said and winked at Lucius, who smiled.

"One of my classmates mentioned something about some wizards being able to transfigure themselves into animals. Professor McGonagall said that they're called animagus and it's a hard thing to do." Jane said.

"Yes, animagi is considered advanced magic and only witches and wizards who are approved by the Ministry can use that ability." Lucius said.

"I want to be an animagus too." Jane said excitedly. "I want to turn into a phoenix, they're so beautiful."

Christine moved her hand over her injured arm and remembered the night she was trying to save Sirius' life from the werewolf. She knew that he was also an animagus as she has seen him transfigure himself into a dog, but she didn't know if he was registered or not.

"I wonder if they can have the same abilities as the true phoenix." Lucius said. "I mean the transfigured phoenix."

"They do." Christine said before she could stop herself.

"How do you know?" Lucius asked.

"I read about it somewhere." She said quickly. "I remember it said that the animagus can use the same abilities of the animal that he or she transform to. So, I guess it's the same with a phoenix."

"That means, if I can transform into a phoenix, I would be able to die and be born again?" Jane asked.

"No." Christine said. "It means that your tears would have healing abilities, just like a phoenix. And since you're human, you can't die and reborn."

"Oh." Jane said.

"I'll leave you two talk and I'll go to have some breakfast." Lucius said as he got up. "I'll be back later Chris. I need to talk to you about something."

"Alright." Christine said. "Jane, aren't you hungry? I don't want you to miss breakfast just for the sake of being here."

"I'm not hungry." Jane replied.

"I'll see you later." Lucius said and walked out of the infirmary.

"He seems to be shy." Jane said after Lucius closed the door.

"Oh don't be tricked by the looks. Lucius is not one of the shy people, believe me." Christine said and laughed. "He's the boldest and most arrogant person I know, but he has a heart of gold."

"You like him?"

"We knew each other since the day we were born. They lived a couple of houses far from ours, and we kept visiting each other every day when we were kids."

"I never had a friend like that. I mean a boy friend. All of my friends are girls."

"Sometimes, boys can be better friends than girls." Christine said. "Not that I'm complaining about my girl friends, no, but if you have a friend like Lucius, you'll have someone who would be there for you all the time."

"I hope that I'll have a friend like him some day." Jane said with a smile.

"You will." Christine replied.

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The Marauders entered the Great Hall and headed to the Gryffindor table. Sirius was feeling miserable as always and his misery got worst when he saw Severus enter the Hall, followed by Lucius.

"Here comes the…" Sirius started but Remus interrupted.

"Just sit down and have your breakfast Padfoot."

Sirius growled. "I'd like to see them get drowned in the lake!" he sat down between James and Remus.

"Will you stop thinking and talking about them already? You make me feel that they are something special!" James said.

"Sorry mate, but I can't help it."

"That sneaky Snape didn't get what he deserves yet. I'll make sure he regrets the day he was born." James whispered to Sirius, who grinned.

"And I'll be more than willing to help you, mate." Sirius replied.

Severus Snape walked gracefully to the Slytherin table and sat down, Lucius followed him and sat next to him.

"Morning mate." Lucius said.

"Good morning."

"How did you sleep?"

"Fine. I didn't know I'd miss that bed." Snape grinned.

"It's much better than St. Mungo's." Lucius said.

"Countless times. So, where were you a while ago?"

"At the hospital wing. I was visiting a friend."

"That Hufflepuff girl? The one that everyone's talking about?" Snape asked.

"Yes."

"She's your friend?"

"Since the day I was born. And don't worry, she's not a mudblood."

"Good." Snape said and started eating.

Lucius looked at Sirius, who was whispering to James. He knew that Sirius was planning something, but that didn't matter at this moment. Lucius was convinced that Sirius was the reason for Christine's injury and he wanted revenge, and the only way to get it without being blamed was seeking help from someone outside of school. A smirk appeared on Lucius' face as the idea formed in his head. He was going to ask for help from someone he respected and worshiped.

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Jane spent the whole breakfast time with Christine talking about different issues. She kept telling Christine about her achievements in Charms and Transfiguration and her failures in potions. Christine promised to help her as soon as she fells better, which made Jane happier.

As soon as Jane left for her first lesson of the day, Christine felt sadness fill her. She was alone in the infirmary now, and there was no one she could talk to. Madam Pomfrey came to see her a couple of times, but didn't stay with her as she had some other work to do.

After the end of classes, Christine was surprised of the amount of students who came to visit her. They were all Hufflepuffs and from different years. Most of them of course, were her classmates. They were worried about her and explained to her that Madam Pomfrey didn't allow any visitors at the beginning, for the exception of two certain people. Her classmates kept convincing her that she didn't miss much homework, and most of them were ready to do it for her until she was able to use her right hand again.

"Why doesn't she use some healing spell on your arm?" asked one of the girls.

"I don't know. I haven't asked her about it yet." Christine replied.

"Maybe it's infected." Said another girl.

"If it was infected, I don't think we would've been allowed to enter." Said another.

"I don't know about infections, but it still hurts." Christine said.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for not using a healing charm." Said the first girl.

"I guess so." Christine said.

She was happy to have her classmates with her, but most of all she wanted one specific person to be by her side at this moment.

__

Why didn't he come today? What's keeping him away from me? Is it Lucius? I'll have to talk to him about it. But no, I should ask Sirius if I can tell Lucius first, and then I'll tell him. On the other hand, I should just keep my mouth shut. But… I want to see Sirius more often! Christine kept thinking to herself.

The Hufflepuff students left the hospital wing when Madam Pomfrey came to give Christine her potion. As soon as her classmates were gone, she took the potion and fell asleep again.


	12. I know what you are

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risi: Thanks :) I know I've been cruel at the first chapter, and I blame the plot bunny ;)

**Laughing Fountain:** Oh Lucius is cooking something, that's for sure :) Christine will get better, no worries :) Thanks for the review!

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Chapter 12 - I know what you are

Christine opened her eyes to see a tired Sirius sleeping on a chair near her bed, his head was tilted to a side and he was snoring. She smiled at the sight in front of her and decided to wait until Sirius woke up by himself. She didn't have to wait for long, though, as Sirius was about to fall from his seat and that made him wake up and adjust himself.

"I didn't mean to wake you up!" he said when he noticed Christine smiling at him.

"You didn't," she replied, "and you look so cute while asleep."

"You were watching me?" Sirius made an accusatory look on his face.

"Well… yeah. Couldn't stop myself from watching you." She made an innocent look.

"That means you need to be punished."

Christine made a surprised gasp. "I'm scared of punishment!"

"You should." Sirius grinned and leaned forward. He gave her a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'll make sure to get punished more often." Christine said with a smile.

"Don't count on it," he winked at her, "so, how do you feel today?"

"This morning, I was feeling miserable. Then Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion and I was asleep. And now, I feel wonderful because you're here."

"I'm sorry I didn't come this morning," Sirius said, "Malfoy was here and I didn't want to cause any problems." He lied. He was always ready to cause problems when Malfoy was involved.

Sirius took Christine's hand in his own and they talked about classes and how Sirius had spent the day. Christine noticed that Sirius was speaking excitedly and she looked at him without paying attention to what he was saying. She knew that he would get upset if she told him that she wanted to tell Lucius about their relationship, but she wasn't sure if that would be a wise thing to do. Lucius and Sirius were enemies from their early years at Hogwarts. She knew how Lucius thought about pureblood families, and since Sirius was considered the shame of the Black family because he was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, Lucius thought about it as a huge black dot on a small white surface. Sirius was considered a blood traitor.

"…So then James and I decided…" he looked at Christine, "honey, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Christine shook herself back to the present. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"What are you thinking of?" Sirius asked and got up from his seat to sit next to her on the bed.

"To tell the truth, there's something worrying me and I wanted to talk to you about it," she said.

"I'm all ears," Sirius replied.

"It's Lucius."

"What did that brat do this time?" Sirius asked angrily.

"He isn't a brat and he didn't do anything," Christine replied dryly.

"What is it then?" Sirius didn't even bother with an apology.

"Never mind, just forget it." Christine didn't like it when someone insulted Lucius in front of her.

"No, tell me," Sirius said, "I want to know."

Christine let out a sigh and looked at him. She wasn't going to tell him about what she wanted to tell Lucius; instead she decided to speak about something different.

"Why isn't Madam Pomfrey using a healing potion for my arm?"

Sirius' face went pale. The answer to this question will reveal a secret he and his friends were hiding for almost six years now. He wasn't sure weather he should tell her or not, but he knew he had to answer that question, and the determined look on Christine's face told him that she won't take 'I don't know' for an answer.

"I think it's because of what caused that injury." He said finally.

"The werewolf?"

Sirius slapped himself inwardly. He shouldn't have said that! She wasn't supposed to know it was a werewolf! She didn't know he was there during the incident! He made a surprised look and gasped.

"It was a werewolf?" he asked.

Christine rolled her eyes. "You perfectly know that Sirius. You were there that night."

__

Okay, so she knows I was there, so that means one question, does she know I'm an animagus?

"And I know you're an animagus. You're a black dog." She said with a whisper.

__

Great, she knows that too, but… how?

"I saw you change near the Whomping Willow," Christine said, "and I'm sure you know I'm…"

"…The eagle." Sirius completed for her, "I know. I didn't realize it until I saw you next morning."

"Who were the others? Who is the werewolf?" she asked.

"The stag is James, the rat is Peter," Sirius said, "and the werewolf…" he couldn't continue. Remus trusted him on this.

"Is it Remus?" Christine asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"I don't know who the werewolf is." He replied.

"You were playing with him for a while. How come you don't know who he is?"

"Because werewolves don't remember who they are when they are transformed." Sirius said, "that's why I don't know who he is."

"But why were you out there without Remus?" Christine sudden interest in this subject was making Sirius nervous.

"He was asleep when we got out, and we didn't want to disturb him."

"Is he an animagus too?"

__

Bloody hell! This is getting complicated! "No," he replied, looking anywhere but her.

"Sirius look at me," She said.

Sirius looked straight into her eyes.

"I know when someone's lying to me, and you are. I knew that you were hiding something from me that evening and I decided to follow you. I saw you enter somewhere below the Whomping Willow and I waited for you outside."

"I saw you on the rock."

"I noticed, and I saw you transform into a dog. That's when I knew that you were an animagus too." Christine held Sirius' hand tighter; "I was so scared when I saw you play with that werewolf, what if it bit you? What if it actually _killed_ you?"

"Moony can't kill a fly!" Sirius said and clapped his free hand on his mouth. He had spoiled it.

"Moony?" she has heard that name somewhere, but she couldn't remember.

"He told us his name was Moony," Sirius said quickly, "that one was easy to know about him."

Christine knew that he was lying again and she didn't push it any further. He wanted to keep it a secret, so be it.

Sirius suddenly got up, "I must go now," he said, "I still have got detentions to do."

"How long do you still have?" she asked.

"About a week."

"I hope that you'll get rid of them sooner." She smiled to him.

"Only with you beside me," he gave her another kiss and left the room.

Christine sighed as soon as he was gone. She wanted more information about the werewolf, although already she had her suspect. All she needed to do now was to confirm it, but how?

Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary with a wide smile on her face.  
"How do you feel my dear?"

"I've had better days, thank you."

"I'm going to let you go now. You can spend the night in your dormitory." Madam Pomfrey said happily.

"Really?" Christine smiled, "That's wonderful! Thank you so much!"

She started to get out of bed, but the medi-witch held her back.

"Not so soon, young lady. You have a potion to take first."

"Oh, alright." Christine sat in the bed and waited for Madam Pomfrey to bring her the potion.

After taking a couple of spoons of a sticky potion, Christine got up and stretched her unharmed arm.

"Madam Pomfrey!" she called after the medi-witch before she could leave the room.

"Yes dear?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it dear?"

"Why aren't you healing this wound with a healing potion, or a spell?"

"I knew you were about to ask that sometime soon," Madam Pomfrey said, "I am not using any such thing on that wound," she pointed her hand at Christine's injured arm.

"But why?" Christine asked.

"Do you remember who attacked you that night?" Madam Pomfrey asked, hoping that the answer would be 'no'. She didn't want for the girl to suffer from a shock.

"A werewolf," Christine said simply, "do you think he transferred something to me?"

"Well, we'll have to wait until the next full moon to find out."

Christine didn't reply. She had a month ahead of her until she would know if she was going to become a werewolf or not, and that thought disturbed her. If only she knew who was that werewolf. Was he a student of Hogwarts? If he wasn't, what was he doing in school grounds?

She wanted answers to her questions, and she knew that no one would give her a straight answer. Teachers would change the subject, they always do that when they don't want to reply. Students would deny knowing anyone who's a werewolf, even if they did. It was getting complicated for her.

She walked through the corridors, smiling at students who smiled at her. Some of them came close to her and expressed their happiness to see her cured. She was glad that everyone cared for her well being, even if she didn't know most of them.

Christine entered the Hufflepuff common room and was startled by the sudden attack on her. The Hufflepuff students who were in the common room ran to her and started hugging her.

"It's so good to see you again!" said a second year boy.

"How are you feeling now?" asked another.

"Will you tell us how it happened?"

"Do the teachers know who did it?"

"Welcome back!"

"Nice to see you again!"

"Christine!" It was Jane. She ran to Christine and hugged her tightly. "Oh Christine, it's so good to have you back!"

"Thanks Jane," Christine replied, "it's so good to be out of the hospital wing."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better since this morning," she leaned to whisper in Jane's ear, "Sirius came to see me after classes."

Jane gasped. "That's wonderful!"

Christine smiled, "I need to go to my dormitory now. I need some rest."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning." Jane said.

"Don't go to breakfast without me."

"I won't."

"Good night everyone!" Christine said and went to the girls' dormitories, leaving happy Hufflepuffs behind her. She carefully changed her clothes and lay in her bed. She was still feeling tired and didn't realize how fast she fell asleep.

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Jane was waiting for Christine in the common room. She didn't go to breakfast with her classmates because she had promised Christine that she would wait for her.

"Good morning!" Jane said excitedly when she saw Christine coming.

"Morning! I hope I didn't make you wait for long," Christine said.

"Not at all," Jane replied, "but I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry, too. Let's go."

They went to the Great Hall and when they entered, Christine noticed four boys at the Gryffindor table who were gathered near each other, whispering about something. She smiled when she saw Sirius hit Peter on the back of his head and she continued her way to the Hufflepuff table.

As she sat down, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Lucius standing behind her.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"It's good to see you out of that place." Lucius said and leaned and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, want to join me for breakfast?" she asked.

"Not today, but thanks. I have a mission to accomplish."

"What do you mean?" she asked, and then she noticed that Lucius was staring at the direction of the Slytherin table. She saw a girl with blond hair sitting with her friends and then she turned to look at Lucius. He was staring at the same girl.

"Who is she?" Christine asked.

"Narcissa Black," Lucius replied, "she's going to be mine."

"I hope you're not planning to…"

"Don't worry," he didn't let her complete what she was about to say, "this time, it's serious."

Christine smiled, "then go to her."

Lucius smiled back and went to the Slytherin table. Christine was about to drink some tea when she noticed blue eyes staring at her from the Gryffindor table. She smiled at Sirius and he smiled back.

It was hard to have to eat using her left hand, not to mention she was supposed to use only one hand from now on, until her right arm was healed. She growled in frustration when she dropped a piece of bread.

"Don't worry, I can help." Jane said. She picked another piece of bread and cut it to smaller pieces and put them in Christine's plate.

"Thanks," Christine said, "I feel helpless with one hand."

"Don't worry about it. You'll feel better soon, and you are not helpless. I'll help you with everything I can." Jane replied and turned to her plate.

Christine ate her breakfast slowly, growling from time to time when she was struggling with her left hand. She tried to use her right hand, but gasped each time she moved it. It was still painful.

When she was about to leave the Great Hall, she met the Marauders near the doors. James and Peter welcomed her happily, but she noticed that Remus was avoiding her. He was looking everywhere but her.

"We have Herbology today," James said, "we'll see you then."

"Okay," Christine replied and the Marauders followed their other classmates to their first lesson.

Sirius came back and stood in front of her.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Yeah, terribly wrong," he replied, "I didn't say good morning to you!"

"Goodness me," Christine made a sad face, "bad Sirius!"

"Well, I'm here to correct my mistake," he said and kissed her lips, "see you at Herbology."

He went back to join his friends. Christine stared at him, her left hand touching her lips. She liked the way he said 'good morning', but if it was going to be like this each and every morning, she should have a talk with him about Lucius.

Christine sat silently during her classes. She couldn't take notes, as she was right handed and couldn't write with her left hand. She would copy the notes from her classmates later, when her right hand was finally healed.

When she entered the greenhouse for her Herbology lesson, she saw that the Gryffindors were already there. Sirius, James and Peter were beaming at her during the whole class, but Remus was obviously avoiding any eye contact with her. She wanted to know the reason. She hasn't done anything to him as far as she could remember.

Suddenly, she realized what was Sirius hiding from her. Remus was feeling guilty about something, and he was speaking freely with everyone except for her. He didn't even look at her when the Marauders gathered around her this morning. This meant one thing, and she was going to find out.

---------------------------------------------

As they left Herbology, Sirius planted a quick kiss on Christine's lips and hurried to his detention with McGonagall. James, Remus and Peter were about to follow him when Christine called.

"Remus!"

Remus turned slowly to look at her, but instead he stared at the ground.

"May I have a word?" she asked. Remus nodded and followed her.

They walked away from the other students who were getting out of the greenhouses. When they were alone, Christine stopped.

"I want to ask you something," she said.

"Of course," Remus replied, still looking at the ground.

"Will you please look at me?" she asked.

Remus lifted his gaze and looked at her, "is that all?"

"No, of course not," she said and after a pause, she continued, "Remus, I want to know why were you avoiding me this morning?"

"I wasn't avoiding you." He replied.

"You were. Your friends were talking with me freely, but you weren't."

"And why would that bother you? It's not like we're friends or something."

"You're insulting me," she said.

"I'm sorry."

Christine sighed. "It's okay, I just wanted to know why were you avoiding me. You didn't talk to me like your friends did…"

"I'm sorry," he cut her off.

"I didn't mean…"

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he whispered.

"What?" she was surprised.

"I didn't mean to do it," Remus said, now looking at the ground again, "I didn't know I did it until Sirius told me."

"But… I don't understand. A werewolf attacked me, but Sirius said that he doesn't know who was it." Christine said.

"I am the werewolf." Remus replied.


	13. The shock and the letter

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A/N: Sorry for the long wait :)

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Gavroche-Girl: You haven't read the previous chapter either! I'm waiting!! ;)

**xxxsapphiretearxxx :** Thanks :)

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Chapter 13 - The shock and the letter

The world seemed to crash on top of Christine's head as she heard Remus' last words. She started trembling, and couldn't stop herself from taking a step back. Remus looked at her with deep sadness in his eyes. He didn't know what to say. He knew she was afraid of him now.

Christine stared at Remus for a while. She shook her head in denial, but he kept staring at her as to confirm his words.

"Tell me you're joking… please," she said in a whisper.

"I'm not," he replied.

"This is a very bad joke, Remus," Christine took another step back.

"I was the one who caused that injury," he said, "and I wish I am joking."

Christine shook her head as tears started filling her eyes. She fought against them and kept looking at Remus, expecting him to laugh at the joke he made. Instead, he kept looking at her without saying anything

"YOU'RE LYING!" she yelled and ran to the Hufflepuff common room.

"I'm sorry," Remus whispered after her and went to the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

After spending three hours of detention, Sirius returned to the Gryffindor common room and saw Remus sitting alone in front of the fireplace. He wanted to catch Remus off guard, but the look on Remus' face made him put that thought away. Sirius walked to Remus' side and sat in an armchair next to him.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"I told her," Remus replied without taking his eyes away from the fire.

"Told who about what?"

"Christine, about me," Remus said simply.

"Oh… you WHAT?"

Remus nodded, "I told her I'm a werewolf and that I'm the one who…"

"But Remus," Sirius cut him off, "do you realize what you did? What if someone heard you? What if _she_ told someone?"

Remus turned to look at the concerned face of his friend.

"You don't trust her, do you?" he asked.

"Of course I do!" Sirius said quickly, "it's just that… well, she's so close to Malfoy and she might tell him."

"I don't care anymore," Remus said.

"Whoa! Now wait a minute," Sirius got up and knelt in front of Remus, "you _do_ care! If anyone knew about your condition you'll be banned from everything! You might even get expelled!"

"So what? I'm dangerous and I shouldn't be among innocent people."

"Will you just listen to yourself? This isn't the Remus I know!" Sirius said, "You didn't care about it before! Why now? Only because she knows?"

Remus remained silent.

"I have had such injuries. James and Peter had them too, but we never complained. We know you can't help it and it's not your fault," Sirius said and put a hand on Remus' knee. "Being a werewolf isn't good, I know. But you can't blame yourself for it!"

At that moment James and Peter came out of the boys' dormitories and joined Sirius and Remus next to the fireplace.

"How was your detention?" James asked Sirius.

"Not bad, but I'm more concerned about Remus," Sirius said, looking at Remus.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked.

"He is blaming himself for being a werewolf," Sirius said.

"Moony, you know it's…"

"Not my fault that I'm a werewolf," Remus continued what James was about to say. "Yes, I know that already."

"Then what's all this fuss about?" James asked.

"He told Christine he was the werewolf who attacked her," Sirius said and Peter whimpered.

"What did she say?" James asked, looking at Remus. "She's not going to tell anyone, is she?"

"She said I was joking," Remus said. His shoes seemed to be so interesting at the moment that he kept staring at them. "She said I as lying to her and she stormed off."

"Well, that's a relief," Sirius said, "if she doesn't believe you, then you have nothing to worry about."

"You should've seen the look on her face when I told her. She was frightened like I was going to attack her again."

"She shouldn't be afraid of you!" Peter said, "you can't hurt anyone!"

"True," James said, "did you tell her why it happened? Did you tell her she was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"I didn't say anything," Remus said, "I didn't have the chance."

"We can fix that," Sirius said, "I'll tell her everything tomorrow."

Sirius got up and patted Remus' arm.

"Don't worry, Moony. She'll understand."

* * *

Christine entered the Hufflepuff common room and headed straight to the girls' dormitories and into her room. She shut the door closed and threw herself on her bed and cried. She couldn't believe what she heard. She has read about werewolves, but she never imagined herself meeting one in person.

Remus was a nice person - she knew that. He was Sirius' best friend, but she was surprised by his confession and didn't know how to react. She wasn't sure why she was crying now. Was it because of fear? Or was it because her boyfriend's best friend was sentenced to a meaningless life just because he wasn't a normal person.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and she quickly turned around to see it was.

"Jane," she said and quickly dried her eyes with the sleeve of her robes.

"I saw you come here. Why are you crying?" Jane asked, "is it because of him?"

"No," Christine shook her head, "it's got nothing to do with him."

"Then, why are you crying? Can you tell me?" Jane sat next to her on the bed and looked at her with concerned eyes.

"I know I'm too young to understand many things," Jane said, "but I would help if I could."

Christine smiled, "thanks," she muttered.

"What's wrong, why are you crying?" Jane asked again.

"I… I just have a bad headache, that's all." Christine said. She wasn't sure if she could tell Jane about Remus.

"And you're crying just because of a headache? You could've went to see Madam Pomfrey."

"Well, I didn't want to bother her," Christine said.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, it might help."

"I think I will. Thanks."

"But I still don't believe it's just a headache," Jane said as she got up, "if you ever want to talk about it, let me know." She smiled as she left the room.

Christine sighed and got up to change her clothes. She wore her nightgown and climbed into her bed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Severus was sitting in the Slytherin common room when an owl appeared from nowhere and dropped a letter in his lap. He picked up the envelope and looked around. The owl had disappeared again, but how? Severus didn't know.

He looked at the envelope and read his name written on it. He opened it and read the contents:

__

Dear Mr. Snape,

We would like to invite you to join our meeting at six o'clock in the evening on the 20th of November. Mr. Lucius Malfoy would inform you about the location once it's confirmed.

Sincerely,

L.V.

Severus read the letter a couple of times, trying to figure out what it meant. At that moment, Lucius came into the common room holding a similar letter.

"Did you get it?" Lucius asked.

"The letter? Yes, I did. Who is this L.V. and what meeting is it going to be?"

"Well, you remember when you told me you wanted to join us?" Lucius asked, "this is time. The Dark Lord has approved on having you on our side and the meeting is held to introduce you to him."

Severus' face lit up by the news.

"And where is it going to be?" he asked.

"We don't know yet," Lucius replied, "The Dark Lord will inform us soon."

"And who is this L.V.?"

"Lord Voldemort," Lucius said with a flinch, "that's his name, but we're not allowed to say it."

"Why?" Severus asked.

"He's a great wizard, and no one's worthy of saying his name. That's why." Lucius explained.

"You know, I can't wait to join him."

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A/N: Sorry for the delay! I know this is a short chapter but that's how my brain worked! I was drunk while writing it! It was my birthday and I drank two bottles of white wine! I'm surprised I could write this at all!!

Now, replies to reviewers!!


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